FFX-3: Legacy
by Fuzzyfezz
Summary: When Lumina, daughter of Tidus and Yuna, visits the reconstructed city of New Zanarkand intending to revive the once famous Abes Blitzball Team; she is hit with a stark dose of reality. The City That Never Sleeps is filled with treachery and rebellion. Can the sport that once brought Spira such joy, reunite a city in turmoil? This is Lumina's story.
1. Prologue

**Hey readers! So allow me to explain my reasons for creating this story. I recently purchased the FFX HD edition and remembered why I love this game so much! However, listening to the audio drama for "FFX-3" I thought it was absolute garbage, so I decided to create me own version of X-3! **

**This chapter is kind of a Beta-Test if you will. I want to gauge reader reviews/follows before I decide to continue. So as you read please, please, please leave your opinions, love it or hate it! I don't care I want to hear either one!**

**I do hope you enjoy tho as I have plenty of plans to take this story far!**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>"Will you sit down and breathe for a minute?! You're gonna wear out the carpet, ya?"<p>

Tidus groaned audibly and dropped down beside his best friend Wakka, ducking his head between his trembling legs. Wakka gave the blonde, spiky haired young man a queer look before releasing a loud, bellowing laugh.

"Man, you look more nervous than a newbie during his first qualifying match!" Wakka teased, mussing Tidus's already messy hair with his large hand.

"How were you _not_ as nervous as I am now!?" Tidus retaliated, his voice taking on the hint of a whine. Wakka smiled gently, closing his eyes and musing to himself as if reliving a fond memory. "I was brudda, believe me. It's just funny to see it happening to you too."

Tidus frowned, unimpressed by his friend's lack of sympathy. He glanced briefly at the thin tapestry that segregated himself and Wakka from the…._'proceedings'_ occurring in the next room.

"Should we go in there? I mean just to check? It's been a long time," Tidus began to babble nervously.

"Nah," Wakka waved his hand dismissively. "Lu's got it under control, she's an old pro at stuff like this."

"Wakka?" Tidus began again after a few minutes of nervous leg shaking. "What if I'm not good enough?"

"Huh? What are ya talkin' about?"

"I don't know," Tidus rubbed his face vigorously with his hands, causing spots to dance in front of his eyes. "I just keep thinking about Jecht. My old man….He sure wasn't a great example. I don't know if I'm gonna be good enough. I don't know what a good father's supposed to be!"

"Sure ya do!" Wakka proclaimed, grinning widely. "It doesn't matter than your own father wasn't there to give you advice. You are a good man, Tidus. A good man knows how to treat other people and how to be a leader. That's all you need to teach your little one, ya?"

Tidus clenched his jaw tightly, curbing the desire to engulf his friend with a giant bear hug.

" 'Sides," Wakka continued, crossing his burly arms over his even bigger chest. "My parents died when I was little, ya? I've still done a pretty good job of raisin' Vidina, dontcha think?"

Tidus nodded solemnly, lacking a retort that was befitting his usual buoyancy. Wakka's six-year old son was quite an interesting character. In shape and voice he resembled Wakka to a tee, however he was a very serious child, with an already an unusually strong sense of good behavior and responsibility. Either Lulu's parenting was unequivocally matched, or her somber personality was strong enough to pass on through genetics. _Probably both_, Tidus decided, picturing the former Black Mage in his mind's eye.

His reverie was interrupted as Wakka slapped him on the back encouragingly, sending him lurching forward and barely managing to catch himself before he faceplanted on the floor. "Just wait till you see the little guy's face. It's gonna change your whole world."

Tidus swallowed even more nervously than before, "Yeah?"

Wakka nodded, smiling melancholically, "Yeah brudda. When you see his eyes, or touch his little hand for the first time…You realize just how much you could love somethin'."

Tidus decided to ignore the fact that it was bizarre to hear his brutish buddy speaking so sappily, and instead tried to convince himself that when the moment did come; he would feel the same.

There was a soft rustle of fabric and Lulu appeared in the doorway when the roughspun, rug was hung, "She's ready to see you now. Come."

Tidus felt as if his stomach had just dropped out of his body. He stood on legs that felt as if made of water and made his way shakily towards Lulu who, for once, was gracing him with a tender smile. He shuffled his way past her, finding his way to meet her intense ruby gaze for reassurance. She nodded at him, that tiny smile still curving her dark, purple lips. Tidus took one last breath to steady himself and crossed the threshold to enter the room.

She lay on a bed covered with ornate quilts (donated by various Besaid citizens Tidus knew) pressed up against the far wall. She cradled a tiny, white bundle in her arms, too small for Tidus to see clearly what the person that existed inside it looked like from where he stood.

She looked up at the sound of his entrance and smiled brightly as their eyes met, "Tidus."

Feeling a wave of strengthening relief wash through him at the sound of her voice, he hurried to the bedside and knelt beside it, wrapping one arm around her small shoulders and pressing his lips to her forehead.

"Yuna," he breathed, drawing back to examine her face. She looked tired; her skin was more pale than usual and her eyes had dark, shadows beneath them; but a brilliant smile was making her face glow more brightly than he had ever seen before. "Is everything ok? How do you feel?"

"I'm fine," she assured him, in spite of her fatigued appearance. "Are you ready to meet her?"

"Yeah," Tidus nodded slowly, leaning forward to get a better look at what lay nestled inside the bundle in Yuna's arms. "Wait! It's a girl?!"

Yuna nodded, tilting her head to the side apprehensively, "You're not…disappointed are you?"

"No! Nononononononono!" Tidus scrambled to regain his composure. He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "I guess I just had myself convinced it'd be a boy that I could teach to play Bliztball, like…. Like my old man."

"What makes you think that she won't want to play?" Yuna retorted, cocking an eyebrow at him. Tidus felt his face turning red, "She could! I mean that'd be fine! Awesome, I mean. I didn't mean—Ugh…I'm a mess right now, I'm sorry."

Yuna giggled and leaned forward to peck him on the cheek. He smiled apologetically at her before reaching forward and adjusting the fabric of the bundle in order to finally catch a glimpse of his new daughter. The baby had a small, pink face with large, plump cheeks and a tiny button nose. A thick fuzz of dark, brown hair covered her head, matching long dark lashes that fluttered lightly as she slept. Tidus felt an enormous wave of awe and affection fill him.

"She looks just like you," he found himself murmuring as he reached out to brush her fat cheeks with the tips of his fingers. The moment he made contact the baby girl opened her eyes to reveal bright blue irises, the color of a summer ocean.

"But she has your eyes," Yuna added causing Tidus to grin unabashedly. The baby's bright eyes met Tidus' own and in that moment he knew that what Wakka said had been true. He wanted nothing more than to teach this little girl everything he knew about life. He wanted to protect her and make her laugh with his silly antics. He wanted her to achieve whatever it was she set out to do with her life.

"We still have to name her," Yuna prodded gently, recalling Tidus from his thoughts. He nodded and furrowed his eyebrows in concentration. "Man, I was so prepared for a boy that I don't think I really considered any girls names."

He adjusted himself to sit on the edge of the bed and gazed hard at the girl in the bundle who's bright, azure eyes were still trained on him.

"What about…Lumina?" he suggested. Yuna looked up at him, inquisitive, "How did you come up with that?"

"Well," he began a bit sheepishly. "I guess it's cause of her eyes. They're luminescent. Gods, is that super cheesy?"

Yuna smiled at him, "No. I think it's perfect." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders once more and leaned down, kissing her gently.

"Do you think we're ready to do this?" He asked when they separated, still nervous about the prospect of parenthood.

"I'm not sure," Yuna admitted, pausing for a moment to contemplate. Finally she leaned against him with a sigh, "But being unprepared….Well, that's never stopped us before."

Tidus laughed in agreement. Playing with Lumina's stubby, little fingers he murmured, "Welcome to Spira, Lumina."

The couple watched their baby gurgle quietly for a few minutes more before Wakka's booming voice made its way through the fabric doorway, "Can we come in yet? I'm dyin' out here!"

"Come in!" Tidus replied, laughing. "Come meet Lumina."

* * *

><p><strong>2 weeks old…<strong>

The crying broke through Tidus' restless sleep for what must have been the thousandth time in one week. Lumina wasn't fussy much during the daylight hours, but the minute darkness came she collapsed into a ball of screams and tears that went on for unpredictable amounts of time several times a night. It was always Yuna or Lulu (who had offered to stay with the new parents in their own cabin a couple nights a week in order to provide veteran assistance), who elected to get up and calm the child. Tidus felt guilty for letting the women do all of the hard work while he mainly played with Lumina during the day, only occasionally assigned to diaper duty. By the same token, he was also grateful he had managed to escape nighttime calming sessions up to this point; chiefly because he had no idea what it would take to put Lumina back to sleep. Tidus was already unconfident in his parenting abilities, but even Yuna seemed to have difficulties comforting the weeping child on particularly brutal nights. Only Lulu seemed to have the magic touch that would put the baby girl back to sleep within minutes. In fact, Tidus hadn't yet ruled out that she wasn't indeed using some sort of sleep spell to achieve her ends.

This particular night, however, Tidus was forced to face his fears. As soon as Lumina's cries filled the small cabin, Tidus tensed, waiting for Lulu to rise from her makeshift cot and allow them another hour of sleep. It took him a moment before he realized that tonight was not one of the night's Lulu had agreed to stay with them. Eyes widening at the realization, he rolled over to look at Yuna who was buried deep in their blankets, stirring slightly, but obviously reluctant to rise. As guilt overcame him, Tidus got up from the bed, whispering, "I got it" and crossed the floor of their tiny cabin to stand next to the woven, wooden crib in which Lumina was squirming, angry tears dripping from her blue eyes. Gently he reached down and cradled her in his arms, taking extra care to support her head as per Yuna's instructions.

"Hey, Lumina," he cooed softly. "Hey, calm down now. Everything's ok. Go to sleep."

Lumina's cries seemed only to worsen as he continued to murmur senseless nothings to her. He wondered fleetingly if he had been this fussy as a child. Suddenly, an idea came to him, born from the memories of his own childhood. He carried Lumina to the window and stood directly in the middle of the silver, pool of moonlight that spilled through it. There, he cleared his throat and began to hum the best impression he could of the Hymn of the Fayth. During his life in Zanarkand, Tidus had always hummed the song to calm himself; and when he rediscovered the music in Spira, listening to it being sung by the Fayth themselves had achieved the same hypnotic affect.

As he hummed steadily, Lumina's teary eyes trained themselves on his face and her cries lessened until they eventually ceased all together. Cheering in silent victory, Tidus continued to hum the song, rocking Lumina gently as he had seen Yuna and Lulu do countless times. Lumina's eyelids began to droop, her long dark lashes fluttering up and down rapidly as she struggled to remain conscious.

Tidus remained by the window with her, humming until he was certain that she was asleep, before returning her gently to the crib and tucking a warm blanket around her. He tiptoed back across the cabin floor, avoiding the loose, squeaky floorboard, and crawled back into his own bed, grinning from ear to ear as he adjusted his pillows. Yuna rolled over to face him, eyes still closed as she asked sleepily, "Is she ok?"

"She's good," Tidus responded, smile widening as Yuna scooted closer and snuggled against his side. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his face into her hair whispering, "Ya know what? I think we can do this."

* * *

><p><strong>1 year old…<strong>

"C'mon Yuna the beach is the perfect place to really let her test her walk! If she falls, the sand is nice and soft." Tidus didn't wait for his wife's reply as he scooped Lumina up in his arms and hurried out the door.

"Tidus!" Yuna looked worried, but Lulu gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder, smiling and murmuring, "He's right you know. I know it seems unorthodox, but Wakka did the same thing with Vidina and now I can't get that boy off the beach."

"That's what I'm worried about," Yuna grumbled a bit sullenly. Nonetheless, she relented and followed Tidus to the beach, Lulu in tow with a reserved seven-year-old Vidina.

"Alright Lumina, today's the big day!"

By the time Yuna and Lulu caught up to Tidus he was well underway with his inspirational pep talk.

"Yuna!" Tidus beckoned when he saw them arrive. "Come over here, I need your help."

Tidus knelt on the white sand, standing Lumina on her tip toes with gentle hands; the baby was babbling gleefully, clueless as to what was expected of her at this crucial moment. Yuna knelt opposite of them and stretched out her arms, calling Lumina to her with an enthusiastically. The little girl blinked at her mother with large, sparkling eyes before carefully placing one pudgy foot out on the sand in front of her.

"Great!" Tidus cheered supporting her less and less as she took more steps away from him. "Keep going!"

With a final shaky step, she fell into Yuna's arms and giggled excitedly when her parents praised her lavishly.

Lulu watched from a distance as the young couple excitedly began the process over again. Vidina stood by her side observing quietly. The Black Mage gave her son a fond look before placing a hand on his orange, spiky haired head and murmuring, "I want you to do something very important for me Vidina."

The boy looked up at her with large, brown eyes, "Yeah, ma?"

"I need you to look out for Lumina as she grows up. You are much older than her and you must be sure to guide her. Will you do that for me?"

Vidina nodded as seriously as if he were making a solemn oath, "I'll look out for her, promise."

"Good boy," Lulu praised as she turned her attention back to the small family on the beach. _That little girl will need Guardians of her own. Her parents' legacy could easily cause her more pain than glory._

* * *

><p><em>5 years old…<em>

"Alright team, let's break for lunch. Meet back here in an hour." Tidus made his announcement to the team of exhausted Aurochs before turning towards the forest pathway that led back into town. Since his return to Besaid five years ago, he had replaced Wakka as Captain of the Besaid Aurochs. At first, he had allowed the team easy and occasional practices as he was more distracted with adjusting to life on the island again and then Lumina had been born and he had spent the majority of his time with her. However, now the time was right for him to turn the Aurochs into a respectable team and he planned to make it to the Spira National Cup match that was scheduled to take place in Luca four years from now. It seemed like plenty of time, but Tidus had a feeling it would be barely enough to turn his ragtag team of islanders into national pros. As he approached the wooded path, he registered two people walking towards him. Upon closer inspection he realized that it was Yuna, followed closely by Rikku who carried her own three-year-old, Calli, in her arms. Tidus was about to call out and ask where Lumina was, when he saw the endless ball of energy that was his daughter, barreling past the two women and coming straight for him.

"Papa!" she called as she leapt wildly into the air, flying into his open arms and knocking them both to the ground in a heap of giggles.

"Wow," Rikku exclaimed as they approached the wrestling pair. "I think yours has more energy than mine!"

Yuna smiled at her cousin, "I might be inclined to agree with you."

Rikku knelt down, allowing Calli to stumble towards Lumina and Tidus, falling on top of the pile to join in the fun.

"Oh Yunie!" Rikku squealed as she watched the chaos. "This is so cute! Babies on the beach!"

"Who you callin' a baby?" Tidus snorted, finally managing to right himself as the girls became distracted by a stray bliztball that lay nearby.

"Well I was referring to the little girls," Rikku replied, placing her hands on her hip. "But now that you mention it…."

"Alright, twerp," Tidus rose to his feet, grinning ruefully and preparing to tackle the Al Bhed as well, when Lumina tugged on his pant leg to draw his attention.

"Papa, will you teach me to throw a Bliztball?"

Tidus looked down to see his daughter struggling to offer him the hefty ball, her expression earnest and hopeful.

"Of course!" he exclaimed, thrilled that his dream passing on his love for the sport might actually come to fruition. Taking the ball out of Lumina's tiny hands, he ordered her to stay where she was, while he took a large step back. Kneeling so as to reduce the possible velocity of the ball, he tossed a gentle, underhanded pass that caught Lumina right in the chest, knocking her unceremoniously into the sand. Before either of her parents could move to assist her, the brown haired girl scrambled to her feet, a large smile filling up her face, "My turn!"

Tidus laughed loudly, crouching low and reaching for the ball when Lumina tossed it feebly through the air. Calli watched from her mother's side, sucking on her own thumb amiably. The game of toss continued, eventually drawing the attention of the returning Blitzers, including Vidina who often spent the majority of his time playing with the team despite the fact that he was too young to become an official member. He too, helped in giving Lumina advice on her throw and offered to set her on her feet when the ball knocker her over again. She seemed determined to succeed on her own, however, and pushed aside his attempts to set her upright, deigning instead to struggle to her feet by her own volition. As the game continued, Tidus was sure he'd never been more proud of the determination his little girl showed that day. Needless to say, not much more official team practice was conducted that afternoon.

* * *

><p><strong>9 years old…<strong>

"You keepin' up?"

"Yeah," was the only response Lumina could muster since all of the oxygen seemed to have left her body miles ago. Her father jogged a few paces ahead of her, his figure difficult to make out in the early morning darkness. The sand along the shoreline pulled at her shoes, making every step feel as heavy as a rock.

"It's important for a Blizter to be a strong runner. It's good practice for breath control and endurance," he'd told her when she began training with him a few months prior. She was becoming a decent swimmer as well, although her mother didn't like her to go out past the docks when she was swimming in the ocean, even if Vidina or her father was with her.

"Hey, we gotta hurry!" Tidus exclaimed suddenly. "We're gonna miss the sunrise if we don't make it to Gull Hill in time!"

He began to jog faster, the sand kicked up from his heels and hit Lumina in the face, sending her spluttering and veering off course. Upon wiping the grime from her eyes she looked up to see her father already across the beach and charging up the stone steps to reach the top of the hill. A fire of pure will and determination charged her lead-filled legs and she hurtled after him, pushing herself past pain and weariness. She needed to see that sunrise, it was the best part of their morning runs; and it would be the last one they would see together before the Nationals Match. It was a special sunrise and she could not miss it. When she finally reached Gull Hill, Tidus was already there sitting at the top, cross legged and still as if in deep meditation. She jogged up beside him and collapsed struggling to catch her breath, leaning against her father's shoulder for support. He grinned and mussed her hair affectionately, "You're getting better and better the more we practice, squirt. You're gonna be an excellent Blizter someday."

Lumina felt her exhaustion drain away quick as the tide as his words of praise filled her with joy. The two sat in peaceful silence, watching as the golden sun slowly began to leak through the morning clouds, painting the sky a rosy, pink as if the sky were catching fire. Lumina looked up at her father, the sun illuminating his bronzed skin and highlighting his spiky, golden hair. He had always looked like a legendary hero to her, even before she had learned of the long journey he had gone on to become a powerful Guardian.

"Papa? Are you worried about the match tomorrow?"

He grinned at her, shoving her lightly in the shoulder as he spoke, "Of course not! Are you doubting your old man now?"

She shook her head furiously, her short brown hair flopping around her ears, "No! But Vidina told me the Luca Goers are a really tough team."

"Ahh Vidina's always been a worry-wart," Tidus eschewed waving his hand as if to blow away the comment. "No one out there is tougher than your old man. But you have to promise to cheer for me, kay?"

"Yeah!" Lumina agreed. "I will!"

"As loud as you can?"

"Louder than I can!"

Tidus chuckled and reached behind his head, unclasping the lock that held his silver, chain necklace in place.

"Here," he said reaching around to hang it around Lumina's neck. "I think it's about time you started carrying this."

Lumina looked down, the sun made the small, finely crafted links sparkle brilliantly; and at the end of the necklace was the twisted, cross-like symbol her father always wore on the pants of his uniform.

"It's the symbol of our family," he told her placing a warm hand atop her head. "When you wear this, you carry our legacy. You think you're ready for that?"

Lumina nodded wordlessly, the lump of emotion in her throat making it impossible to construct a verbal response.

"Good," Tidus nodded solemnly, mussing her hair once more. "You wear that and I'll never be far away."

The two turned back towards the rising sun, enjoying the few moments they had together before the hectic atmosphere of the Championships would consume Tidus' attention.

"Alright! Let's go practice the Mark III Shot before your mom gets mad at us for sneaking out again!" Tidus leapt to his feet and charged back towards the beach, Lumina scrambling to her feet and loping after him.

* * *

><p>The moment Lumina stepped of the Celsius airship and onto the streets of Luca, was one she would never forget. For nine years she had grown accustomed to the quiet and slow style of life branded on Besaid Island. The bustle of bodies and shouting and lights and smells and colors of the big city literally took her breath away. She stood motionless at the bottom of the airships drawbridge, so stimulated she was unsure of what sense to act on first. Yuna came to her rescue, taking her hand and leading her through the busy streets as Rikku, Lulu, Wakka, and Vidina formed a loose barricade around them. Lumina knew vaguely that her mother and father were well known, but it shocked her to see so many people turning to call her mother's name loudly, or point and stare as they walked by. Her normally bombastic demeanor became much more hushed as the attention began to overwhelm her. She walked closer to her mother's side whose hand tightened around hers reassuringly. Vidina was quickly at her side as well, offering Lumina an encouraging smile as they walked.<p>

By the time they reached the stadium, Lumina was ready to jump out of her skin. She looked around anxiously, searching for her father in the sea of muscular, uniformed Blitzer's wandering to and fro. She heard his voice before she saw him, calling out to them and waving frantically as he shoved his way through the crowd. Lumina ran forward to meet him, jumping into his arms and burying her face into his shoulder.

"Hey there, squirt," he laughed carrying her back towards the others and greeting Yuna with a quick peck.

"How're the boys?" Wakka asked moving forward to clap Tidus on the back.

"Nervous," Tidus laughed. "But they'll be fine once they get into the water."

"You'd better knock those Goers out!" Rikku cheered, pumping her fists in the air.

"You got it!" Tidus gave her a thumbs up.

"Watch out for their ace," Vidina piped up, the fourteen-year-old gazed at Tidus admirably as he spoke. "His name's Greer and he's supposedly a really ruthless player. He gets away with a lot of penalty fouls too."

Her father patted Vidina on the shoulder, "I know about Greer. He's tough but he's got no real strategy, we'll waste him."

Vidina didn't look convinced but nodded quietly nonetheless.

"Well, I should get going," Tidus said as he glanced quickly at the clocktower. "Wish me luck everyone!"

"Be safe," Yuna murmured placing a kiss on his cheek. He smiled at her and knelt to set Lumina on the ground, placing his hands on her shoulders as he did.

"You remember your promise to cheer for me?" he asked. She nodded fiercely, "Loud as I can."

"Louder."

She hugged him quickly, wrapping her skinny arms around his neck. He hugged her back, kissing her on the fore head before rising to his feet and waving to the group.

"Alright, catch ya guys after the game!" With that he turned on his heel and jogged back into the crowd.

"C'mon," RIkku said heading towards the stadium doors. "Let's find some good seats!"

* * *

><p>(Optional Musical Accompaniment: watch?v=27k8SNx2U-k)<p>

The game was intense. Lumina had watched her father practice with the Aurochs on the beach hundreds of times, but watching Bliztball be played in the giant water filled stadium was both a beautiful and terrifying experience. Water swirled around the players as they glided through the sphere, as graceful as dolphins. Tackles were fierce and a few players ended up leaving the stadium due to injuries. Lumina followed her father's plays on the large screen hung above the stadium.

The score was 4-3 in favor of the Goers at the end of the second quarter. Lumina knew it wouldn't be long before her father decided to pull out his signature move, the Magnificent Mark III Shot. In fact the moment she thought this, she saw him order the formation to his teammates as they prepared to set up the ball for him. Raff stole the ball from a Goer and began to swim vigorously towards Tidus. As he closed the distance, he threw it with all of his might, however his aim was off and Tidus had to adjust his position. Lumina knew that the Mark III would not be possible unless he could get above the water. What none of them saw was Greer, the Goers Ace, swimming at top speed from the opposite goal, coming directly for the ball. There was a flurry of bubbles as he collided with Tidus. Lumina could not see the details of the struggle through the swirling of the water; but suddenly there was a cry from the opposite side of the stadium and Lumina watched with horror as blood filled the water.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the screen cleared and Lumina was able to make out the figure of her father, floating lifelessly in the water a cloud of red billowing around his temple. Yuna hands flew to her mouth and Rikku let out a scream. Chaos erupted in the stadium and the screen flashed a warning message before going blank. A voice sounded over the loudspeaker asking patrons to remain calm as medics were called to assess the situation. Lumina could feel a scream erupting from within her throat as the impact of the situation finally registered in her brain. Before she could make a move to run to her father's aid, Vidina had her in his arms, carrying her towards the exit of the stadium as Wakka, Lulu, Rikku and her mother hurried towards the Sphere.

"No!" She shouted, punching Vidina with her tiny fists and struggling to escape his iron grip. "No! GO back! Go back! Vidina!"

Her blows had no effect on the boy's burly frame. He only gripped her tighter and moved faster towards the exit, shoving terrified crowd members out of his way.

"Go back! No!" Lumina's throat grew raw with her screams, tears streaming down her face, blurring her vision.

"PAPA!"

* * *

><p><strong>Interested in a continuation? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading!<strong>


	2. Tryouts

**BOOM! Chapter two. This story is really going to take off from this point so Please REVIEW and let me know your opinions!**

**This story will also have musical accompaniments to add to the effect because I'm dramatic like that. I've left links above the paragraphs for which they are to be played, but it's up to you whether or not you want to listen while you read.**

**Thanks and see ya next chapter!**

* * *

><p><em>Made a vow I was gonna be<em>

_A Blitzer like my father in front of me_

_Give me that one perfect moment_

The blow to his head had killed him instantly, Lumina learned later. Vidina had been right to suspect the Luca's Ace of foul play. The player that had collided with him, Greer, had equipped himself with illegal, steel-tipped boots to increase the power of his kicks underwater. It had been a cheat designed to help them win the game, not to harm another player. Nonetheless, when those steel shoes had connected with Tidus head, the blow had been enough to take his life in an instant. Greer was banned from playing in any future official Bliztball matches and was sentenced to a short time in holding for his illegal actions, but the trial that had ensued hardly mattered to Lumina at all.

What mattered most to her now was that her hero was gone.

(Optional Musical Accompaniment: Stoic's Ship, HTTYD 2 Soundtrack: watch?v=eY49xEQGqMw)

Yuna was the one to perform his sending; carrying out her wondrous dance upon the beaches of Besaid as her father's body was laid out in a casket that floated upon the water. Lumina watched from the shore, clutching Lulu's skirts for comfort as she witnessed his body disintegrating into a cascade of shimmering pyreflies. The whole of Besaid had gathered to watch the ceremony as well, Wakka and Rikku at the forefront of the crowd neither one of them bothering to hide their grief as tears rolled freely down their faces. Vidina stood by Lumina's side as well, gazing solemnly at the scene that played out before them. She knew he was only acting strong though; the slight tremors than ran through his tense body betraying his misery. Lumina could not even begin to untangle the emotions she felt swirling around inside. In fact, everything was so confused and painful that it stopped her from weeping openly like the rest of them. She felt like screaming. Screaming and shouting and begging for someone to bring her father back. But the tears would not come. Instead she stood frozen on the beach, her fingers tangled in the fabric of Lulu's skirt so tightly that her knuckles were turning white; her face twisted in pain as she struggled to comprehend her own feelings.

Finally, the dance ended. In a final spectacular burst of light, the pyreflies scattered into the heavens and Tidus' body was gone. Lumina's eyes followed them as they ascended into the sky, glistening like stars against the blood, red sunset. Rikku, Wakka and Lulu (pulling Lumina in tow) all hurried to the shoreline to meet Yuna as she trudged back towards them. Rikku was the first to reach her cousin, enveloping her in an embrace so tight, Lumina wasn't sure how she could breathe.

"Yunie," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

Her mother didn't respond. It frightened Lumina to see her so despondent. Her beautiful, bi-colored eyes were dull and empty. Lulu moved closer as soon as Rikku relinquished her hold. The Black Mage said nothing, but pushed Lumina forward, placing her in front of Yuna and offering her despairing friend a hopeful smile. Yuna looked at Lumina, dropping to her knees and pulling her into an embrace, clutching her tighter than ever before as if afraid to let go for fear of losing her as well. That was when Lumina felt her tears begin to fall. She returned the hug, wrapping her arms around her mother's neck as her cries grew louder and louder, echoing across the silent beach.

That first night without him made the cabin feel dark and empty. Lumina could not rest. The image of the red water kept her awake and trembling. She lay wrapped in her mother's arms as if she were just a babe once again. The two lay very still, Yuna murmuring the occasional word of comfort; but mostly they lay in silence, their shared tears slowly dampening the mattress beneath them. It was a sleepless night; and one that Lumina would never forget.

* * *

><p><em>6 years later….<em>

The only sound was that of Lumina's breath, coming heavily but steadily as she pounded dutifully across the shoreline. The white sand appeared a sooty, gray in the dark before the sunrise, but Lumina knew that if she did not hurry, she would not make it to Gull Hill in time to see the beach reflect the first of the sun's golden rays.

_Faster, faster, faster_, she chanted as her bare feet pounded the sand, ignoring the tiny grains that caught between her toes. Rivulets of sweat trailed down her temples, dampening strands of her short brown hair and sticking them to her face. The light, sleeveless shirt she wore was also dark with perspiration; the result of an hour long morning sprint. Her legs screamed in protest as she leapt up the steps that led to the top of the hill, taking them two at a time. She could remember how much of a struggle it had been to ascend only one of those steep steps years ago when she first ran with her father. By the time she reached the top of Gull Hill, her legs were trembling with exhaustion and her chest heaved in-and-out as she struggled to catch her breath. But she had made it in time. The sun was just beginning to peek over the edge of the sea, its rays turning the billowy clouds a soft, rosy color. Lumina sat on the edge of the cliff, letting her feet dangle over, as she watched the sun rise higher and higher. The silver, chain necklace she wore around her neck glinted in the light, catching her attention and subtly reminding her who was absent from this perfect scene. Not that she _needed_ reminding. It hadn't been long after her father's death that she decided to dedicate herself to become what he had been. For years she had run the same route along the beach, always before dawn so that she could catch the sunrise that he had adored so much. She even trained with the Aurochs, even though she had not been inducted as an official team member as of yet. In a few short years, she had become a worthy athlete. Her tan arms and legs were strong and toned, the rest of her body hard and lean. She wasn't very tall, being built in a more compact frame, like her father had been. But she was a capable swimmer as well, training to become better every day that she could. She loved to test her mettle against the undertows and hidden currents that lay out past the docks. Of course if her mother knew that that was where she chose to practice, she would have a fit. So Lumina kept her personal morning swims to herself, choosing to share only stories of the practices she attended with the Aurochs.

As the sun rose high enough for the sky to turn a light, lilac, Lumina took a deep breath and launched herself off of Gull Hill into the surf that crashed below. The moment she hit the water (and after adjusting to the cold shock that threatened to take her breath away) she stretched out her arms and propelled herself deeper. Tiny schools of fish swum around in fantastic formations, scattering in all directions as she propelled herself through them. The clear water flowed around her, guiding her limbs and pushing her through the currents. The sense of weightlessness, was one she could not get enough of, it made her feel as if she could fly. As she swam, she counted. Blitzers had to be able to hold their breath underwater for the entire length of the quarter; as of now the official time required was five minutes. Lumina could only manage three-and-a-half. She knew that today, however, was the day she would make five minutes. She had to or else she would not be made an official member of the Aurochs this year. Today was the day that an official Qualifier from the NBBL, or National Bliztball League, would be coming to scout for talented players all across Spira, as well as to assist Vidina (the Aurochs newest captain) in choosing the team members he would need to maintain the Auroch's national status. Like her father before, and then Raff for a brief stint after him, Vidina worked incredibly hard to train the Aurochs to the best of his abilities; intending for them to win the National Championship that had been left unrewarded the year Lumina's father died during the match.

She felt her lungs beginning to burn for air, but refused to surface just yet, choosing to wait until black spots clouded her vision before bursting through the water, gasping for breath. Four minutes….Not good enough. But at this point, she didn't have any more time to train. Tryouts would begin in a few short hours and she needed to get home to grab breakfast and restore her energy before losing it all again to the demanding tests the recruiter would doubtlessly make her perform. She paddled back to shore, dashing across the sand as soon as she reached it, running as fast as she could in an attempt to dry herself before she reached the cabin.

* * *

><p>She could hear the sounds of clinging dishware inside the cabin as she approached it, signaling that her mother had awoken not long ago. She pushed aside the ornate, carpeted entrance and stepped inside, greeted by the warm, enticing smells of food simmering over a fire. Yuna stood over their tiny stove machina donated to them by her Aunt Rikku when her parents had first gotten married.<p>

"Morning!" she shouted hurrying over to the stove, embracing her mother quickly and snatching a slice of bread from the counter before attempting to scurry away to her room. Yuna caught her before she could, her expression a confused combination of both amusement and disgust. It was then that Lumina caught a whiff of herself, a pungent odor surrounded her, courtesy of her intense morning workout.

"You are planning on cleaning up before you go anywhere else today, aren't you?" she suggested forcefully. Lumina rolled her eyes and groaned, "Mom…I'm training with the Aurochs in an hour! I'm just gonna get dirty again!"

"Trust me," Yuna said, turning her around and pushing her towards the outdoor shower behind the cabin. "Your friends will thank you for showing up and smelling like a human, not a fiend."

"Mooom," Lumina tried again even as she obliged and headed towards the back entrance. "Vidina always smells like old boots anyway and no one complains to him!"

"That's because he's twice your size and a man," Yuna retorted, turning back to the stove to end their discussion.

"Ugh, fine. But I'm filing a complaint with the management!"

Yuna laughed, causing Lumina to smile even as she sighed, finally exiting the cabin and stepping into their curtained shower area. She stripped bare and quickly scrubbed herself roughly with a heavy lather of soap, turning on the spout to fill the bucket that lay nearby with water (cold water) and dumping it over her own head. Repeating the dousing process a few more times, she threw back on her filthy clothes and hurried back into the house, swerving away from the kitchen and pushing aside the flap to her own room. It was a small, cozy place, added onto her parent's original cabin when she had become old enough to sleep on her own. A comfortable, downy bed covered in a messy wad of quilts lay against the far side, underneath the circular window that let in the sun. Posters of famous Biltzers from all over Spira decorated the walls, but the one directly above her bed, displayed the proud image of her father. She knelt on her bed and stared up at the poster, clutching the silver necklace as she spoke.

"Today's the day, dad." She blinked at the image, a small part of her hopeful that it would respond. "I'm going to become an Auroch today. Their Ace player, someday. I'm gonna win that Championship for you."

The grinning face of her father stared out at her, his thumb raised encouragingly. Closing her eyes to compose herself, she took a steadying breath before leaping off of her bed and scrambling to her dresser, scrounging for another outfit suitable for Blitzball practice. After settling on a yellow sleeveless, skin fit top and black and silver swim pants, she hurried back out to the kitchen where her mother had just finished setting her breakfast on the table.

"Thanks," she mumbled before shoveling the food into her mouth as fast as she could, barely even tasting the delicious concoction as it passed down her throat. Yuna blinked at her dumbfounded from where she sat at the table across from Lumina.

"Why are you in such a rush to train this morning?" She asked, causing Lumina to choke on her current mouthful. Yuna did not know that Lumina planned to try out for the recruiter today. She did not know that Lumina planned to become an official player for the Aurochs. She did not know, because after what had happened to Tidus, she had forbidden it. Yuna was never rough with Lumina, or openly severe, it just wasn't in her personality… except when it came to the possibility of her daughter competing in the official game. Tidus death had shaken everyone, but Yuna most of all. Her faith in the sport had been shattered and Lumina knew that she was right to fear it. Bliztball was an intense sport and players were injured in almost every competitive match. Few deaths had ever been recorded, but after her father's had been added to that short list, Lumina knew that she would never get her mother's approval to join an official team. Of course, she allowed Lumina to "play" with the Aurochs at practices, aware of her daughter's desire to engage in the sport. But those practices were just "for fun". Vidina was always present and Yuna trusted him to protect Lumina from harm. Even so, she would never give her consent for Lumina to become an actual teammate. And so she had decided not to ask for permission. If the recruiter made her membership official with the League, her mother could protest of course, but there would be a new team of people on Lumina's side, hopefully influental enough to convince Yuna that they needed her daughter to become a certified player.

"Oh, uh," Lumina coughed down her food, struggling to find an excuse as she swallowed. "Well, Vidina said he's demonstrating some new moves today and I want to get there early so I can get warmed up."

_Lame. Bad excuse. She won't believe it_.

"Oh," Yuna responded amiably, seeming content with the answer.

_Score._

"Well, just remember to be safe when you're out there," she reminded Lumina unnecessarily as the girl picked up her empty dishes and hurried towards the sink.

"I know, mom," she grumbled dumping her dishes and dashing through the door calling, "I'll be back in a few hours, with me luck!"

Yuna watched her daughter disappear with a melancholy smile, memories of Tidus running through her head. The two were incredibly alike.

"She really is your daughter," she mumbled quietly to herself, feeling the familiar ache of loss clawing at her heart. Six years had not been enough to dull the pain and she wasn't sure how long it would be before the memories did not hurt to recall.

"Knock, knock," came a familiar voice as the flap to the cabin was pushed open. Lulu appeared in the entrance, ducking to avoid brushing the doorframe with her elaborate, black-hair style.

"Good morning, Lulu," Yuna greeted her old friend and crossed towards the sink to begin cleaning the dishes Lumina had left behind. "What brings you here so early?"

"I'm interested in how Lumina is doing lately," Lulu stated calmly, seating herself at the small dining table and peering at Yuna with her intense ruby eyes.

"Oh, she's doing fine," Yuna chuckled. "Playing with the boys constantly, of course."

"She does take after her father that way," Lulu mused. Yuna nodded once, but did not verbally respond. The Black Mage caught the immediate change in her demeanor and quickly changed the subject, "Vidina's new…sweetheart…is coming in from Luca today, you know?"

"I had heard rumors that he was seeing someone from another team," Yuna said, finishing with the dishes and coming to sit across from the ruby-eyed woman at the table.

"Yes," Lulu drawled, sounding unimpressed. "They met during the preliminary match in Luca a few months ago. They've been keeping it their little secret. Vidina's told me he's afraid of drawing prejudice from his teammates if they knew he was interested in someone from their biggest rival."

"So what brings her here today?" Yuna asked curiously. "Have they finally decided to reveal everything to the team?"

"Not quite," Lulu mumbled. "She's currently a representative for the NBBL. According to Vidina she's coming here to help him conduct tryouts for the team he's going to take to the National Cup this year."

A cold dread filled Yuna as she registered Lulu's words, "Tryouts?"

"Yes," Lulu sighed, obviously aggravated. "She'll be arriving by airship soon and sitting in on their practice. Vidina was quite a bundle of nerves this morning; could barely finish the breakfast I made for him."

Lulu stopped speaking and gazed at Yuna concernedly. The other woman's face had turned paler than usual, her eyes wide and fearful.

She stood abruptly, her chair screeching loudly across the wood paneled floor as she did, "I need to find Lumina."

* * *

><p>By the time Lumina reached the beach, she again covered in a thin sheen of sweat; not that it bothered her much. As she stepped onto the sand she registered three other figures standing near the docks whereupon rested two compact airships. The figure with a crest of magnificent fiery hair, she recognized immediately as Vidina. But it took her up until she came within shouting distance that she acknowledged the short, blonde girl who stood talking to him.<p>

"Calli!" Lumina called out as she registered the perky, green-eyed girl who was her cousin, or in reality her second-cousin if she was choosing to get technical.

"Lumina!" the little Al Bhed squealed, abandoning her conversation with Vidina and racing towards Lumina at top speed. Lumina braced herself, laughing as the impact of Calli's embrace sent them toppling onto the sand. "I haven't seen you in forever!"

"It's only been a few months," Lumina corrected as she struggled to sit up. Calli always did have a tendency to dramatize things, the way her pouty bottom lip quivered with barely restrained emotion was proof enough of that. "Are your parents here too?"

"Nope!" Calli squeaked, puffing out her chest with obvious pride. "Sussy (_Momma_ in Al Bhed, Lumina knew) says I'm old enough to travel on my own now that I'm thirteen, I'm practically an adult, you know! Plus…"

She leapt to her feet and whirled around to point at the tiny, red, one seated airship that sat perched on the dock, "Bubby (Poppa) gave me that for my birthday!"

Lumina's jaw practically hit the ground, "They gave you an airship?!"

Calli looked practically ready to burst with joy, her blonde hair bouncing around her head and she hopped up-and-down excitedly.

"You're let me give it a test drive, right?!"

"Of course!"

Before she could set a time, Vidina approached the two young girls, stretching out one of his massive hands and helping Lumina to her feet, "Bout time you got here."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lumina growled. "Nobody else is here! I'm way ahead of schedule."

"Yeah," Vidina yielded, his voice carrying a hint of uncharacteristic anxiety. "But I wanted you to meet Eva before the rest of the boys get here."

"Who's-?" Suddenly Lumina remembered the second airship and the third vague figure that had been standing with the others. She peered around Vidina's burly shoulders and came face to face with a tall, lanky girl with heavy black eyes. She had long red hair that curled around her shoulders and face. She was beautiful, there was no denying that; but her very appearance seemed somehow dangerous to Lumina.

"Hey," she said, offering her hand for Eva to shake. "Name's Lumina."

The girl's black, slanted eyes flicked to Lumina's hand, then quickly back to her face as if analyzing her before making a move. Finally, she offered a curved smile with pale, pink lips and took Lumina's hand in her own. Her grip was weak and she held Lumina's hand for only a moment before withdrawing and stepping back, slipping her thin arm around Vidina's thick, waist.

"I know who you are," Eva chirped in a cheery voice that contrasted her sharp appearance. "Vidina's told me a lot about you. Plus, I knew your father."

Lumina was so dumbfounded by this unexpected display of affection that she barely registered the last part of Eva's sentence. Finding her voice she blurted, "You knew my father?"

Eva nodded, her dusky eyes flashing briefly, "Mhmm. The last match he played in was against my father, Greer."

Slowly the pieces came together in Lumina's mind. This girl was Greer's daughter. Greer had killed her father. Vidina was dating the girl whose father had killed her own. And worst of all, neither one of them seemed to care.

"Vidina, you-But she—I-My dad-," Lumina stopped to swallow and compose herself. "Vidina how could you!?"

Vidina's face was now more anxious than before, however at the same time a heavy, darkness was settling in his eyes, "Lumina…You know I cared about Tidus. But this isn't about that. Eva is not her father."

Lumina felt her face beginning to burn with rage. She wanted to scream words of hate in his face. _Traitor, Sheep, Bastard._

"Please don't fight," Eva interjected, her voice sounded sickeningly sweet to Lumina's ears. "Lumina, I cannot even begin to tell you how much I regret what happened in the past….But Vidina's right. This is between me and him. We don't live our parent's lives."

Lumina was ready to leap on this new girl, claws unleashed, when Calli put a gentle hand on her shoulder and whispered, "Lumina don't….She's a Qualifier."

Lumina blanched. Calli was well aware of her decision to join the Aurochs since the two sent tele-sphere's to each other practically every other day; and so far, the usually loud-mouthed Al Bhed had done a phenomenal job of keeping the secret from both of their parents.

However, this new information only served to fuel the fire within her. If this girl was the one who was going to decide her destiny, then it seemed that fate was doing its best to slow her down.

"You're the Qualifier?" she questioned through clenched teeth. Eva nodded, her red hair swaying hypnotically, "That's right. Besaid is my first stop. It's my job to make sure the Blitzball Captains of Spira take their best recruits to the Qualifying rounds. It's up to them to give the rest of the world a good show. After this I'll stop in Kilika, then Luca…hmm let's see, then there's Home, and finally ."

"What about Zanarkand?" Calli piped up curiously. Eva's sweet demeanor disappeared for a brief instant as she shot the young Al Bhed a look of disdain, apparently disgusted by her lack of Bliztball knowledge. Lumina knew that the city in which her father had been born had just recently begun to rebuild itself into its former splendor, after having faced destruction at the claws of a terrible beast called Sin almost a millennium ago. But that was another story.

At the moment, Zanarkand did not support an official League Bliztball team. Calli had no way of knowing that though, she was not as dedicated to the sport as Lumina was. She felt her hackles rise defensively as Eva dark glare continued to bore into Calli. The red-haired woman spoke in a sardonic tone that went unnoticed by Vidina, "Zanarkand doesn't have a team, sweetie."

"Look, we know what your job is," Lumina grumbled rescuing Calli from further confrontation. She was annoyed that Eva had left out the fact that Qualifiers only had the power to strongly suggest which recruits should be made a part of the team and the final decision was left to the Captain. However, a Qualifier's opinion was a highly valued one, considering they were only given the job if they were masters of Blitzball technique and statistics themselves. Eva gave her that slanted smile again, "Are you trying out today?"

"You bet she is!" Calli squeaked, unable to contain herself in the background any longer.

"Lumina," Vidina grumbled, giving her a hard stare. "You know you're ma won't let me pick you for the team."

"Since when did you become such a pushover, Vidina, huh?!" Lumina challenged, her anger flaring once again. "You're twenty-one now! My mom doesn't control you and she doesn't control me either."

Before Vidina could retaliate for the blow she had sent to his ego, Lumina lowered her voice and continued in a more pleading tone, "Please, just let me show you what I can do. I train with you guys every day! I'm just as good as anyone else who's going to try out today….Better!"

The two stared each other down, the tension in the air becoming palpable.

"Hon, let her try," Eva finally interjected, standing on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on Vidina's cheek. The moment she did, his face lightened considerably and he regarded her inquisitively as waiting for further instruction.

_You're wrapped around her little finger, Vidina_. Lumina thought bitingly. Contrary to his massive frame, he was quite submissive around powerful women; he took after his father in that manner.

"Besides," Eva continued, staring at Lumina with those endlessly black eyes. "I'm interested to see what this little one can do."

Before the standoff could continue any further, they were interrupted by the booming voices of the rest of the Aurochs as they all came running onto the beach. Lumina hung back as Vidina introduced the players to Eva, as the Qualifier, not as his girlfriend; although the way she continued to hang on his arm made their relationship obvious. The public affection, as well as Eva herself, drew plenty of stares and murmurs from the men on the team, but none of them seemed as openly aggressive as Lumina had been when she learned of the girl's identity. In fact, most of them just seemed infatuated with her looks.

"Alright boys!" Vidina finally shouted, clapping his hands to draw their attention away from the red-haired vixen. "It's time to show me watcha got! Our National team is gonna be decided here today, so give it your all!"

A cheer went up from the assembled men. However craven Vidina sometimes might be, Lumina had to admit that he was a good captain. He began the assessments by ordering a short relay. There were currently fifteen members on the Aurochs, but National matches only allowed teams of seven. Vidina had them split into three groups of five in order to complete the relay on the beach, the players with the best time would have points added to their score; the score that would qualify them as an official League player. Eva stood on the sidelines, her thin arms crossed over her chest, her slanted eyes gleaming hungrily at the men spread out before her. Lumina grimaced, so distracted by the red-haired woman that she missed the whistle signaling the start of the race.

Snapping back to reality she focused on the southern end of the beach where Jassu was pounding away at the sand, lugging the heavy blitzball that was their baton to pass. Letty was next, then Botta, and finally Keepa, the slowest of them all due to his substantial gut. Lumina was last, her sprint was powerful and she knew she could make up anytime lost by her teammates. She began bouncing on her toes as Keepa drew closer, reaching out for the ball to minimize the time she would have to wait before she ran. She didn't expect Keepa to lob the ball towards her at max power after he gotten so close. The ball hit her square in the chest, knocking the breath from her lungs as she collided with the sand. Gasping, she rolled over her shoulder and leapt to her feet, charging forward, head low and legs pumping as she struggled to make up for the stumble. The beach was a blur beneath her feet, the docks that served as the finish line growing closer and closer with every step. All she could hear was the pounding of her own heart and the air passing in and out of her lungs. A loud whistle sounded as she touched the first panels of the dock's surface and turned on her heel to observe the competition. The other three finishers were just coming up behind her, faces red and sweaty.

Lumina shot a satisfied look at Vidina, who gave her a solemn nod in response, clearly unhappy with her accomplishment. That didn't phase her, she would do so well that there was no possible way her could deny her membership. The next test was a Passing trial. Lumina was teamed up with Botta who beamed encouragingly at her even when her first throw struck him right in his already bulbous nose. Vidina had them pass only with their hands, then only with their feet, then their heads, etc. Lumina succeeded in each test, failing only when he had them pass using their belly buttons. Keepa, on the other hand, was exceedingly proficient with that particular technique.

The final test was a mock game between Lumina, Keepa, Letty, Gobba, Tella and Jassu against Vidina, Botta, Beclem, Dotta, Kamm, and Raff. The rules were official match rules, except for the fact that game was played above the water's surface for the sake of their judge, Eva. It was quite a close match, Lumina team pulling ahead at the very last minute due to a choreographed team shot carried out by Lumina, Letty, and Jassu. The teams sloshed back to shore, exchanging high fives and shouts of encouragement, but Lumina kept her eyes trained on Eva. If she had impressed the Qualifier, in spite of her suspicious intentions, Vidina would not have the nerve to contest her. The Aurochs formed a loose circle around Eva, joined by her boyfriend who announced, "Alright, everyone did a great job today! We'll need while to decide on the results. So just go ahead and take a break for-"

"No need," Eva interrupted her dark eyes flashing as she peered at the crowd of exhausted players before her. "I've already made my choices."

Vidina blinked, obviously taken aback, but nonetheless gestured for her to announce the names.

"In order of highest score to the lowest," Eva began, "Here is the Besaid Aurochs Offical League Team. Vidina, Jassu, Letty, Beclem, Dotta, Gobba, and Keepa."

Lumina's heart began to pound anxiously as she realized that her name had not been called and seven players had been chosen. A few murmurs were exchanged among the men before they began to congratulate those who had been called out. Lumina, on the other hand, charged forward approaching Eva with fire in her eyes.

"Wait! What about me?" she shouted, stopping mere inches from Eva's pale white face. "I know I had some of the best times out there! Were you even watching for real talent or are you just too distracted all the muscular, meat-heads?"

A couple of offended objections sounded behind Lumina and she cringed, aware that her anger with the results had just earned her a couple of enemies on her own team. Eva's slanted smile appeared on her pink lips once again, "Honestly, Lumina, your times aren't as impressive as you think they are. Maybe you're a better player than the rest of the tiny, fifteen-year-old girls out there, but you definitely don't have the number to be a League Blitzer. It's unfortunate really. I expected a lot more from the daughter of an Ace player."

Lumina was dumbfounded, mouth agape as she struggled to find some way to respond.

"Besides," Eva continued sweetly, looping her arm through Vidina's once more. "Vidina here tells me your mommy won't let you play. I can't very well go against a loving parent's wishes with a clear conscious; especially when she's been here watching the whole time."

Eva gestured with her pointed chin towards the far end of the beach. Lumina followed her gaze to see her mother, accompanied by Lulu and a sheepish looking Calli, approaching the team angrily. Lumina whipped her head around to again focus on Eva, but the woman had already moved on from their argument, meeting instead with the players whom she had called and detailing the process they would now have to go through to compete in the National League. Desperately, she looked to Vidina begging him for a second opinion, but his heavy eyes gave her his answer when they met her own. _I told you so. _Betrayed, by her own friend. Her big brother in every aspect of the title except by blood.

Lumina's gaze fell to the sand, blue eyes flickering back and forth rapidly as she tried to comprehend what had just occurred. It was over. Her dream would not come true. Even after giving it everything she had, it had not been not enough. So lost was she in her own thoughts, that it startled her when her mother's voice sounded from directly in front of her. Yuna's tone was unnaturally heated but when Lumina looked up at her face, she saw only pain not fury, in her bi-colored eyes, "Lumina. I can't bel-"

She interrupted before Yuna could continue; she did not need scolding, she already knew what wrong had been done.

"I know," she groaned, looking at her feet once again. "I'm in deep trouble. I lied to you. I'm grounded for, like, ever. It doesn't matter. I didn't even get in anyway."

Without waiting for her mother's response, she pushed past them and began trudging slowly back to the cabin. Yuna followed quickly, placing a guiding hand on her shoulder, though not for comfort Lumina knew, rather control.

Calli watched her cousin walk away feebly, her usual spunk dissipated like a cloud of pyreflies. She heard Lulu sigh heavily next to her and looked up at the Black Mage to see disappointment etched on her face.

"She is so much like her father," Lulu murmured almost to herself. Calli blinked, shoulders drooping as she looked back at Lumina disappearing into the woods that led out of the beach. She felt the weight of her cousin's distress covering her own heart as she did.

* * *

><p>Lumina stood sat obediently on her bed, legs crossed and eyes lowered as her mother berated her.<p>

"Lumina, I can't believe that you would spend all this time lying to me," she began. "You know I don't want you competing Nationally. Isn't it enough that I let you play with the Aurochs during their practices?"

Lumina said nothing, her eyes narrowing as tears pooled at the corners. Yuna waited for a response, but when none was forthcoming, she sighed and knelt beside the bed, cupping Lumina's chin and raising it to look her in the face.

"Lumina…I'm just trying to keep you safe. I don't want you to…to get hurt."

Lumina's crystal, blue eyes flicked upwards to meet her mother's briefly before she jerked her chin away pettily. Yuna closed her own eyes, speaking slowly, her voice heavy, "You won't be able to play with the Aurochs anymore. You understand that, right?"

"Yeah," Lumina said tersely. _Eva had made sure of that_.

Yuna studied her daughter for a few moments more, finally standing and turning towards the door. Before she left she stopped in the doorway and added what Lumina knew had been coming all along, "You will stay here in the cabin until I say otherwise."

With that she left and Lumina collapsed onto her bed, screwing up her face in an attempt to fight that tears that were forthcoming. She looked up at the poster of her father through a veil of water. His bright, encouraging smile stared down at her mockingly. In fact, suddenly all of the poster of her heroes seemed to now gaze at her contemptuously.

"I'm sorry," she squeaked feebly as the tears finally fell. "I'm so sorry. I failed."

She lay curled in a ball on her bed until night had fallen and even then she lay still until even the crickets outside had ceased their chirping. A small tapping noise coming from her window finally made her raise her head curiously. She got onto her knees and peered out the window frame, coming face to face with the swirling, green eyes of her cousin.

"Calli?" she hissed, keeping her voice down so as not to wake her mother. "I thought you went home? What are you doing here?"

"I'm breaking you out! C'mon!" With that she dropped down from whatever had propped up her four-foot-nine frame against the window and disappeared into the darkness.

"Calli!" she called again, glancing nervously at the doorway before slowly raising the windowpane and squirming her way through the tiny entrance. The drop wasn't far, but it was enough to knock the wind out of her as she hit the ground. Rising to her feet and dusting herself off and peered anxiously into the darkness, searching for the bright, golden hair of her cousin. She spotted the tiny, Al Bhed dashing through the collection of dark cabins, heading towards the beach. Lumina followed as quickly as her sore legs would allow. By the time she caught up with Calli, her they were burning painfully; but she forgot the ache as soon as she realized that her cousin had brought her to Gull Hill. Calli had no way of knowing what the significance of this place was to Lumina, but that did not matter; the impact was the same. She felt her heart begin to ache as she imagined her father here with them, his disappointment in her failure twisting his usually enthusiastic features.

"Why did you bring me here?" Lumina murmured, plopping down to dangle her feet off the edge of the cliff. Calli joined her, leaning against the older girl's shoulder comfortingly.

"Eva was wrong you know." she said quietly, watching Lumina as she picked quietly at the grass that blanketed the hill. "I was watching too. You blew those old guys out of the water! You're a good player."

Lumina shrugged, "Apparently not good enough."

"C'mon Lumina!" Calli argued, shoving her shoulder into Lumina's gently. "You know better than that! Don't let whatever that strange lady said about you make you lose faith in yourself! She's creepy and I don't trust her anyway."

Lumina couldn't help but smile as Calli stuck out her small pink tongue in response.

"Ok," she began slowly. "Let's say she was lying about my numbers for some reason. It doesn't matter anyway. Vidina doesn't want me either and half the team is angry that I called them meatheads."

"Well, can you blame them?" Calli half-smiled, looking up at the stars. "It'd be cool if you could start your own team ya know? Create Lumina city and raise up a team of mini Lumina's! You'd be unstoppable."

Calli's statement was an obvious jest, nonetheless, it sparked an idea in Lumina's brain and slowly her wheels began to turn.

"Maybe I don't need a Lumina city…" she began. "Calli, can your airship fit two people?"

"Maybe," Calli responded, tapping her chin in thought. "If we squish together really close. Why?"

Lumina stood up, raising her fist enthusiastically and shouting, "Because we _are_ going to start our own team!"

Calli looked dumfounded, blinking in confusion as the excitement built in her cousins voice.

"Calli! It's time to take destiny into our own hands! Get the airship ready, we're going to Zanarkand!"

(Optional End Theme: Gurren Lagann Theme: watch?v=C_t47BVtPuE)

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><p><strong>OMG PLEASE REVIEW<strong>

**BYE!**


	3. Welcome to New Zanarkand

**OK Sorrry for those who have already read the updated chapter...But I took it down and put it back up because I realized I had misspelled Blitzball nearly every time I typed it out X_X shame...**

**First off, I changed the summary for the story, so sorry if the email update threw any of you off...**

**Woo hoo...long chapter. Alright folks, here's the next installment. I wanted to give a few shoutouts to the readers that this story has garnered so far. Thanks to Gambit Hawk for the review, giving me the inspiration to finish this chapter.**

**Also thanks for PersonaOfBetrayal, Jumofi of the Mad Hare, and xSabinaKoenigx :) I appreciate you all for giving the story a fair chance. I know that stories heavily involving OC's can be hard to get behind, but this one will include TONS of FFX references and flashbacks and old characters. It will star just as many canon characters as OC ones.**

**Please enjoy and leave any comments about how you felt about this chapter. Reader response gives me the boost I need to continue. See ya'll next chapter!**

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><p>Calli didn't argue much after she understood the details of her cousin's plan; not that Lumina had expected her to. Calli had never been one to say no to an adventure. Lumina ordered her to wait inside the tiny, single-seated airship while she hurried back through the forest path towards the now dark and empty village, all it's denizens tucked quietly away for the night, in order to garner a few traveling supplies. After picking out her cabin amongst the dozen others that looked almost exactly the same, she snuck around the side to her window, which still stood ajar from her earlier escape. She crouched low, springing up from the tips of her toes and catching herself on the window sill, legs swinging comically as she squirmed inside.<p>

Dropping down to the wooden floor as quietly as she could, she crept towards her bedside table, snatching the Blitz goggles she wore specifically for underwater practices. Sticking her other hand inside the table drawer, she shuffled around in the darkness, searching for the measly collection of Gil she had earned for completing various jobs for the neighbors over the years. After pulling out all of the shining golden coins she could find, her spirits dampened considerably…15 gil. Barely enough to buy hot a meal…For one. Sighing, she straightened and peered around her dim room, illuminated only by a few, silver shafts of moonlight. For a moment she considered bringing a few changes of wardrobe until she realized that would only serve to make the already compact space inside Calli's airship even smaller. She must take only what she could carry. Grabbing a knapsack off the end of her bed, she stuffed the Gil and goggles inside as well as a small, ornately decorated dagger that Vidina had given her for her birthday years ago.

Lumina was about to turn back towards the window, intending to sneak out the way she came, when she heard a murmuring sound coming from the main room. She froze, too startled to even attempt to hide herself. Swallowing nervously, she strained her ears for another sound, but none came. Carefully, she crept to her doorway and peeked around the hanging, material. The main cabin was dark, not a soul moving within. Silently, she stepped over the doorframe and tip-toed her way across the large room; careful to avoid the squeaky floorboard that sat in the middle. Another murmur rooted her to the spot; her eyes darted around furiously, searching for the source of the noise. She found it eventually, when her gaze fell upon the figure of her mother, who had fallen asleep on the tiny, ornate couch they kept pushed against the south wall unless they had company. She was mumbling something in her sleep, although Lumina could not make it out, her brows drawn in concern. Lumina stood absolutely still for what seemed like an eternity, watching her mother sleep, a troubling sense of guilt welling up inside of her. She had been so caught up in the exciting possibility of travel and adventure that she hadn't considered what her actions would do to the people she left behind.

_The Aurochs wouldn't care much_, she thought trying to assuage her conscious. _They're probably still mad that I called them all meatheads._

Vidina was too wrapped up in his new, manipulative girlfriend to care what had happened to her and Calli was joining her on her journey, so there were no concerns there. But Yuna….Lumina took a hesitant step closer to the couch, frowning as she did. Her mother would be alone. Not entirely, of course. She would still have Wakka and Lulu and her other friends on Besaid. But, the last of her family would be gone. Lumina bit her lip, an internal battle beginning to break her resolution.

_I have to do this. For him. I have to do this. For me._

For a brief moment she considered leaving some sort of note detailing her intentions. But she dismissed the thought almost as quickly as it had come. If Yuna had any sort of clue as to her whereabouts, she would find and put a stop to Lumina's plans faster than a lightning strike on the Thunder Plains. However, she knew that there was no way she could just disappear without leaving _something_ to at least let her mother know that she would be alright. Quickly, she scribbled a simple message on a scrap of paper, leaving it on the dining table where she knew her mother would find it come the morning. Before her guilt could further shake her resolve, Lumina swiveled on her heel and crept as quickly as she could to the cabin entrance. There she paused once more and spoke quietly into the darkness, "I'll show you that I can do this. I'll make you proud." With that she slipped out of the house she had spent her life in and sped back towards Besaid's northern beach.

By the time she stepped onto the rickety dock where Calli's airship was parked, the blonde Al Bhed was fast asleep on the steering wheel, snoring lightly. Lumina smiled to herself and turned to take one last glance at the small, sleepy island she had called her home for fifteen-years. She knew that it was not a permanent farewell, once she became a champion she could return home with her head held high; no one would dare stop her from playing when she held the National Title in her hands. But how long would it be before that victory was hers? Feeling tears begin to prick at the corners of her eyes, she raised her fists, quickly brushing them away. Turning back to the airship, she prepared to awaken her sleeping cousin and finally leave the charming, little island behind.

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><p>Calli's ship was surprisingly inefficient for being such a tiny machine. It didn't fly as fast as Lumina had expected and it took them until dawn to finally leave the city of Luca in their wake. By that time they had been traveling nonstop for close to four hours, Lumina having long ago lost all feeling in her legs. She couldn't even appreciate the beautiful sights of Spira from so high up in the air, so cramped was she from being squashed in the tiny cockpit with her cousin.<p>

"Lumina," Calli whined loudly. "Can we please make a quick pit stop somewhere? Everything hurts and it smells like feet in here!"

"That's not my fault," Lumina argued impractically, the cramping making her exceptionally irritable.

"Is so!" Calli shot back. "You never showered after you left tryouts!"

Lumina's face turned red as she realized that Calli was correct in her accusation; she wasn't about to let her cousin know that however, "Oh yeah? Well how do you know it's just not that natural musty smell you Al Bhed seem to take with you everywhere?"

Calli gave her a dull look, unimpressed with her obvious attempt to offend. "Pleaaaaaase, let's stop just for a few minutes!"

"Ok, fine!" Lumina relented, peeking over her cousin's shoulder to view their surroundings. All around them was a sea of trees, waving subtly in the early morning breeze. "Wait, can we even land here? It just looks like forest to me."

"Don't underestimate how compact this baby is," Calli bragged, punching the acceleration.

"No worries there," Lumina grumbled under her breath as the airship dropped towards the tree line.

There was a bit of turbulence as the aircraft slipped through the tightly intertwined branches. However they managed to land without causing too much damage in a small, clearing surrounded by massive tree trunks. Calli was the first to escape the ship's hull, leaping out of the captain's seat and dashing into the woods shouting something about having had way too much to drink before they had left Besaid. Lumina crawled out after she had disappeared into the ethereal forest, her legs tingling uncomfortably as the blood rushed back into them. She straightened and looked around at the enormous trees that encircled them. She had only left Besaid once in her entire life and that was too attend the Championships with her family in Luca when she was nine. She knew about the different towns and cities that existed in Spira of course, but seeing someplace inside the hologram of a sphere and actually being there were two completely different experiences. She began to walk steadily through the foliage, eyes trained on the beautiful, twisted trunks of the forest.

This particular wood was obviously a very special place. The trees all had strange shapes and markings in them, and she could swear that the shadows inside the tree trunks flickered every time she turned away. She paused for a moment, staring hard at her surroundings when suddenly she realized that the strange markings on the trunks were not symbols at all, but doors and windows etched directly into the wood. Startled and more than a bit curious, she approached one of the wooden doors, intending to knock when a flash of movement caught her eye. She whirled around and saw a vague figure wearing a long mottled coat the color of the surrounding woods, standing in the shadows of the trees across from her.

"Hey," Lumina called out, startled by the volume of her own voice in the stuffy silence of the woods. "Who's there? What is this place?"

The figure did not respond, but melted back into the shadows. Throwing caution to the wind, Lumina pelted after whatever it was that intended to elude her. She hurried through the trees, catching a quick glimpse of the greenish brown coat out of the corner of her eye every so often causing her to quickly change direction multiple times in order to follow it. The elusive figure led her through twisting pathways and around endless tree trunks until finally she found herself climbing a twisting hill that cut right through an enormous tree. She followed the glowing tunnel it created until she reached a tall, staircase that seemed cut from within the stony ground. At the very top was a large, swirling mass of color. Lumina stared at it breathlessly. Although she was a good distance away from the mysterious object, she could feel an enormous ethereal energy radiating from within it.

"What is that thing?" she murmured to herself, gathering the courage to approach it.

"That is the entrance to the Farplane."

Lumina could not contain the shout of surprise that echoed off the walls of the tunnel when a deep, male voice emanated from directly behind her. She whirled around, fists raised defensively, but stopped when she saw who it was that had spoken to her. The creature before her appeared to be very old, he was hunched and wrinkled, his face taking on the cracked appearance of tree bark. In fact, most of the creature's body resembled a tree; from the wild, tangle of green hair on his head to the long, twig like fingers on his large hands.

"Who are you?"

"I am no more than an old bard," the person responded in a wispy voice. "In my younger days, I experienced some quite magnificent adventures. But I am too old now to do much more than share the stories of how Spira used to be."

Lumina blinked, slightly peeved. "Ok, but what's your name?"

"Oh!" The old man loosed a wheezing laugh. "Pardon me, my lady. There has not been a visitor in Guadosalam for many a year, I seem to have forgotten proper educate when introducing oneself. You may call me Tromell."

"I'm Lumina." She realized that the man before her was actually a Guado and if this was truly the city she had read about, then the doors she had seen in the trees had in fact been entrances to the households of the other citizens. She turned and pointed at the swirling mirage floating at the top of the staircase asking, "So that's the Farplane up there?"

"Indeed," Tromell murmured, studying Lumina with an oddly contemplative gaze. "Inside the Farplane exists a multitude of pyreflies that reflect one's memories of the dead. It is a place that reunites the living with ones they have lost."

Lumina felt as if a heavy stone had settled in her stomach. If she were to step through the portal, would she be able to speak with him again? Would she be able to ask for his approval of her plan?

"You've lost someone dear to you, have you not?" Tromell continued, drawing her attention away from the portal.

"How did you know?"

"The Guado are the keepers of the Farplane and have a sense for the Otherworld. The scent of death and loss never truly leaves a person who has experienced it." He paused and gestured towards the Farplane entrance with his long fingers. "Would you like to enter the Plane?"

Lumina's limbs began to tremble as she considered his offer. What would it be like to see him again after six years? Would he be the same man she remembered? Or did people change in the Farplane? Would he speak to her? Or would he simply be a figment of her own mind? She was paralyzed with anxiety as the thoughts swirled around and around. Before a decision could be reached she heard a high voice echoing in the distance, calling her name.

"Lumina! Where are you?!"

_Calli_, the thought, returning to her senses. "Sorry, I have to go."

Tromell nodded complacently, a thin smile just visible through his mossy beard. "The Farplane will still be here should you decide to return, my lady."

"Yeah, ok," she replied, unable to form a more fitting response. Taking one last look at the Farplane, she turned on her heel and dashed back through the gaping tunnel, escaping the entrancing power of the Otherworld and the fleeting memories that threatened to swallow her whole.

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><p><em>There's something I have to do for me and Papa. I can take care of myself so don't worry about me. I'll be home when I've done what I need to. I love you. <em>

_-Lumina_

Yuna had risen with the sun, intending to check on Lumina when the scrap of paper laid out on the dining table had caught her eye. She had to squint to make out the hastily scrawled message but when she finished reading, an aberrant wave of anger had engulfed her. Lumina had always been headstrong and hasty, quick to voice her own opinion and easy to anger, but pure disobedience had never been in her nature, especially not when Tidus had been around. Yuna set the note down and placed her hands on her hips, furrowing her brows in an attempt to calm herself in spite of the intense desire she felt to hunt her daughter down and drag her back to the cabin by the ear.

She was not quite sure what Lumina's intentions were from the contents of the note. She would not be able to leave Besaid until the day after tomorrow, as that was when the ferry made it's scheduled round from Kilika Island. If that was the case, then she must still be on the island somewhere. But in that context, the note made no sense. The only other way she could have left was by airship and no one on Besaid owned such an extravagant machine. No one except-

Yuna felt the color drain from her face as she recalled the airship that Rikku's daughter Calli had brought to the island the previous day. An equal sense of anxiety and fury filled her as she realized that Lumina had indeed run away. She was on her own, in Spira, traveling with a restless thirteen-year-old Al Bhed, intending (Yuna was sure) to force her way on to any other Blitzball team that would have her. She turned on her heel, intending to bolt for the door and send a commsphere to her cousin to insist that she bring the Celsius for a retrieval mission, when a figure in the doorway stopped her from leaving. Lulu made her way inside, arms crossed over her substantial breast.

"She's gone isn't she?" the dark woman said, although it came out as more of a statement than a question. Yuna stepped back, for a brief moment allowing herself to believe that it had been Lulu who had helped her daughter to escape, but she dismissed the treasonous thought almost as quickly as it had come.

"How did you know?"

Lulu's purple lips twitched with restrained mirth, "After the fiasco at tryouts yesterday I'd be more surprised I she _didn't_ do something foolish and irresponsible."

Yuna shook her head, the frustration continuing to build the longer Lulu kept her standing in the cabin. She made a move to step past the tall, mage murmuring as she did so, "If you'll excuse me I need to—"

"Yuna." Lulu's tone was suddenly quite somber. She reached out with and grabbed Yuna's wrist gently, the many bracelets she wore jangling together at the motion. Yuna stopped and turned to face the older woman, confusion and exasperation battling for dominance in her expression.

"Lulu?"

"Are you really going to go out there letting your anger lead you and drag her back to Besaid kicking and screaming the entire way?"

That had been exactly Yuna's plan, but the way Lulu suggested it made it seem as if that weren't the most appropriate way to go about it. Desperate to defend her position, she withdrew her wrist from Lulu's grasp, irritation rising in her voice as she spoke, "Lulu, she deliberately disobeyed. She knows I don't want her playing and yet she seems determined to put herself in harm's way no matter what I say. She escaped the island without leaving anything more than a note—"

Yuna took a step to leave, intending to throw her final arguments over her shoulder when Lulu's cool voice interrupted, "Hmn. Sounds like a certain young summoner I used to know."

She stopped, hand pressed against the doorframe for support as Lulu's words sunk in. Slowly she turned around to see Lulu gazing at her with amusement, a small smile adorning her usually stoic features.

"What do you mean?"

Lulu cocked a dubious brow, "Come now Yuna. I recall the very day that you grew tired of the endless meetings with officials and preators and took off without a word the moment Rikku showed up with her _own_ airship."

Yuna found herself sitting at the dining table, dumbfounded by Lulu's revelation. She had always thought that Lumina's personality stemmed mainly from Tidus'. She had never really considered the possibility that some of her daughter's spirit had come from her own. Lulu sighed and sat across from the stricken woman, reaching out to pat her hand comfortingly.

"This is what teenagers do Yuna. Let her find herself. Would it really make you happy to bring her back and crush such a vibrant spirit?"

Lulu noticed the tears gathering in her friend's bi colored eyes and immediately softened her tone, "Yuna?"

"I can't lose her too, Lulu." The words came out almost as a whisper, but they rang loud and clear for the dark mage. "I just can't." She stepped forward and cupped Yuna's cheek in her palm, forcing her to meet the ruby-red gaze.

"Yuna, you have faced more pain and hardship than anyone should ever have to, let alone at your age. But you have always faced it bravely and conquered whatever fate throws at you. You have given Lumina what she needs to succeed. Have faith in your daughter and believe that she is strong enough to reach her own destiny, just as you have been."

The tears flowed freely down Yuna's cheeks now and the two women embraced in silence for a long time. When finally Yuna pulled away to wipe the wetness from her cheeks Lulu offered her a smile and said, "If she hasn't tried to make contact with us within a week, then we'll do what we need to do to find her. Alright?"

Yuna nodded mutely, suddenly inexplicably grateful for her old friend's level-headed wisdom. Lulu smiled once more and took Yuna's hand in her own, "Come. We'll use the commsphere to tell Rikku her daughter's a kidnapper. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree now does it?"

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><p>It was nearly nightfall by the time Calli and Lumina's airship reached the edges of New Zanarkand. The sun was setting behind the edge of the ocean, sending golden rays of fire streaking across the surface of the water. The towering buildings and spiraling roadways were silhouetted against the orange clouds, tiny specks of light beginning to pop up here and there as the city grew dark enough to require artificial illumination. Spiraling above the city were groups of airships, similar to the one the girls currently rode in. They sped above the roadways and above the buildings, hurrying to and fro, but all in an organized fashion as if there were invisible highways they traveled along. Lumina was speechless as she took in the mechanized beauty of the city. New Zanarkand had been under reconstruction for nearly eight years and there had been amazing strides in their progress considering that the humongous city had once been nothing more than fiend infested ruins. There still remained, however, small pockets of slums and ruins that left parts of the city looking just as desolate and crumbling as it had for a millennium.<p>

"Wow," Calli's soft exclamation drew Lumina from her rumination. "It's beautiful…."

"Yeah," Lumina agreed just as breathlessly, peeking around her cousin's shoulder to get a better look at the motorized city. They were so busy gawking over the view that they nearly collided with an airship flying towards them at top speed.

"Calli!" Lumina shouted just in time for the Al Bhed to jerk the steering wheel upward, sending them spiraling into the air in a dizzying rotation. Just as they leveled out another airship knocked them off course, this one blaring a loud honking sound as it did so.

"Calli!" she cried again struggling to swallow the nausea rising in her throat as the airship spiraled again. "You're going against the air traffic!"

"What does that mean?!" Calli shouted back, wrenching the wheel again. "There's no such thing as air traffic!"

"There is in a city filled with airships!"

Before Calli could retort, a speedy black airship with white stripes painted along the sides came flying right for them. It swerved at the last moment, but Calli did too and in the same direction. The black airship, which was slightly larger and had gathered a much more significant amount of velocity, shoved their tiny airship aside, crushing the portside engine and sending them plunging towards New Zanarkand.

Calli's airship was equipped with one emergency parachute, but the craft was spinning so fast that neither of the girls could make a move to eject themselves and escape their apparently emanate doom. They burst through a large wooden structure that may have been used for construction on some of the larger buildings, but luckily there were no workers present to decimate as well. Calli reached down and pulled on a hidden lever near the foot pedals that Lumina had not seen before. The reverse thrusters were activated, throwing them back against the seats and forcing the back of Calli's head into Lumina's nose. Another heavy shake and lurch and the airship was finally still, having crashed against the side of a dilapidated building. Luckily, the reverse thrusters had saved them from any serious physical damage. They sat in the cockpit for a few moments, trembling with adrenaline, until the drops of blood dripping from Lumina's nose onto her pant leg brought her back to her senses. Reaching around her shaking cousin, she slammed her fist down on the button that opened the cockpit and forced her way through the entrance, tumbling clumsily into the dirty street below. She stood and brushed herself off, pinching the bridge of her nose and tilting her chin upwards, grimacing as she tasted blood in the back of her throat.

"Oh, Lumina. I'm sorry," Calli mumbled guiltily as she too exited the wreckage.

"S'ok," Lumina slurred, although the throbbing in her nose made it difficult not to feel at least a _little bit_ irritated at the Al Bhed's poor aviation skills. Calli suddenly moaned loudly as she examined the extent of the damage to her recent birthday present.

"Awwww….._Bubby's_(Poppa's) gonna kill me…."

"Worry about that later," Lumina grimaced, releasing her nose and sniffing experimentally. The bleeding seemed to have stopped, although it had left a fair amount of red stains on her pants and shirt. She looked around, trying to figure out where it was exactly that they had landed. The twisting highways and sky-high buildings they had seen upon their arrival seemed to have disappeared. Now they were surrounded by crumbling stone walls and partially flooded canals. "Looks like you stranded us in the ruins…"

"Well excuuuuse me," Calli snorted indignantly, placing her hands on her slender hips. "At least we're alive. I didn't see you doing much to help when our engine exploded!"

"Cause you wouldn't give me the wheel!" Lumina argued, rounding on her cousin. "I bet you I could have at least landed us somewhere where we could've found help!"

"What and crush civilians in the process?" the blonde retorted, her green eyes flashing angrily. "Besides, you don't even know how to pilot an airship!"

"Well neither do you by the looks of it," Lumina shot back, once again allowing her hot-head to override her better judgment. She regretted the words almost instantly, guilt welling up inside of her when she saw Calli's wounded expression. Pride stopped her from apologizing though and instead she turned her back on the Al Bhed, crossing her arms and peering into the growing darkness, struggling to control her rampant emotions in lee of formulating some sort of plan. She heard Calli pouting behind her, murmuring to herself in Al Bhed as she rummaged through the wreckage of the airship to obtain their meager belongings. A sudden shuffling noise coming from the corridor directly in front of the two girls made Lumina immediately forget her temper.

"Calli," she hissed taking a nervous step backwards.

"What?" came the tart reply from a still bitter Calli. She had obviously not heard the noise and remained unaware of the possibility of danger.

"Hand me my bag," Lumina hissed quietly, stretching out a hand while keeping her eyes peeled on the dark canal before them. Calli had caught the strain in her voice and suddenly became very pale. She leapt down from the airship and placed Lumina's travel bag in her outstretched hand, afterwards moving to stand behind her cousin fearfully. Lumina rummaged through the bag, gripping the hilt of the dagger from Vidina that she had brought as the shuffling grew louder. Faint voices began to echo along the corridor as well now. They sounded gruff and angry. Lumina held the dagger out in front of her, trying to ignore the way her hand trembled violently.

"What the 'ell was that noise?" one voice said.

"Sounded like a crash, let's check it out. Might be we could pawn some goodies off the wreck." Said another voice, deeper than the first.

"Think the pilot's alive?" That voice was female, although it was so gravelly Lumina almost mistook her for another man.

"Who cares?" said the first voice again. "If 'e is, 'e won't be for much longer."

She heard the trio chuckle darkly as their footsteps came closer. Calli whimpered quietly from behind her, clutching Lumina's shirt so tightly that her fingernails began to dig into flesh. Lumina winced but kept her focus on the canal where the bearers of the three voices finally appeared in the dim light. They were all quite a bit older than the girls, each of them dressed in rags and covered in grime and muck. The smell they gave off was so pungent that it made Lumina's nose wrinkle. One of the men, sporting a tangled brown beard, laughed loudly when he saw them shivering by the airship.

"Oi! Two little 'uns," he croaked, grinning a toothless smile.

"Ahhhh, not often you find young girls as pretty as them two walkin' round the slums on their own," the other, smaller man said taking a step towards them.

"Stay back!" Lumina warned, waving the dagger that she had no idea how to use in front of her. The trio of bums exchanged amused glances before continuing their steady approach.

"Now, now, don't get your panties in a twist. It'll be much easier on all of us if you just stand still and don't make a fuss."

Calli whimpered again, squeezing her eyes shut and pressing herself against Lumina's back. Panic began to swell within Lumina's chest, constricting her breathing and making it difficult to think. She knew she had to protect Calli; her Al Bhed cousin was little more than a child (in spite of the arguments she made to the contrary) and she had followed Lumina with blind faith. Her welfare was Lumina's responsibility. But she had no idea how to fight with the measly little blade that Vidina had given her and even if she did, how could she take on three grown, adults on her own?

_This was a mistake_, she thought to herself. _I shouldn't have left home. What was I thinking?!_

A dull roar sounded in Lumina's ears. She mistook it for the rushing of her own blood, until a heavy air vacuum filled the canals, indicating the approach of an airship. She looked up to see the familiar black and white ship that had sent them spiraling into the ruins now hovering over the scene, its landing gear extruding as it came towards them. The aircraft landed lightly, hissing as the cockpit slid open revealing the figure of a tall young man with shaggy black hair. He stepped out of the ship quite nonchalantly, taking in the scene with a small smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth.

"Sorry about that collision, ladies," he said speaking to Lumina and Calli, seemingly ignoring the trio of muggers standing nearby looking dumbfounded. "But you really should study the airways before trying to fly your own air pod in Zanarkand. It makes it painfully obvious that you're tourists, otherwise."

Lumina and Calli just blinked wordlessly at the newcomer, completely dumbstruck by his offhanded attitude. He smiled at them before turning to address the trio, his light green eyes suddenly becoming aggressive.

"Hey, Bayard. Been awhile since I've seen you around. How've you been?"

The man apparently named Bayard sneered at the boy, "How's it look like I'm doin'? Scroungin' in the ruins for goods. You seem to be pretty well off since you joined that little gang of Danika's."

"She'd let you join too if you weren't such a disgusting pig," the young man said, shrugging indifferently.

Bayard's face turned beet red underneath the grime, "What'd you just say you little punk?!"

"Well, if I'm not mistaken," the black haired boy said taking a few steps toward the trio. "Looks to me like you were going to take whatever valuables these two young ladies might have and then…well it would make sense if you just went ahead and had your way with them after that, huh? Am I wrong?"

"Kole, you little bastard!" Bayard shouted charging forward with his fists raised. The boy named Kole ducked to the side, dodging his assailants blow and retaliating with a round kick to the temple. Bayard crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Kole looked coolly at the two who were left, arching an eyebrow as if challenging them to approach. The woman turned on her heel and ran into the darkness, but the second bearded man brought out a knife from the folds of his jacket and swung wildly at Kole. He caught his assailant's wrist and twisted until the knife fell from his hand. Swinging his foot around, he kicked the man's legs out from underneath him and leaned in close to the man's terrified face.

"I don't want to catch you messing with anyone else around here, got it?" Kole smiled pleasantly, releasing the man and allowing him to scurry off into the darkness. He chuckled lightly before rounding to face the two girls who still stood frozen in place.

"Hey there," he said, waving one hand in the air amiably. "The name's Kole. Again, sorry for knocking you out of the sky. I take it you two are new around here?"

* * *

><p>Kole's airship was only a bit larger than Calli's, but somehow they all managed to fit comfortably. As soon as they were settled within the much more high-tech ship Kole began to ask them questions. The responsibility of answering was left mainly with Lumina as Calli was too interested in examining every nook and cranny of the machine, seeming to have recovered quite quickly from their earlier scare.<p>

"So where are you ladies from?" he asked, turning the ignition and taking the ship into the sky much more gently than Calli had. "Obviously not Zanarkand or you wouldn't have been flying backwards."

Lumina scowled, tired of having their unfamiliarity with the city used against them over and over. "I'm Lumina from Besaid. This is my cousin, Calli. She's an Al Bhed from Bikanel."

"Ah!" Kole exclaimed interestedly. "I have a buddy whose family used to live in Bikanel."

"Really?!" Calli cried, pulling her hand away from the large red button she had been about to press. "There are Al Bhed here in New Zanarkand?"

Kole seemed amused by her question, "Of course. There are races from all over Spira here. Once the city began rebuilding, people everywhere came to experience the grandeur of the City That Never Sleeps."

Calli looked at excitedly at Lumina, her enthusiasm reflected in her cousin's blue eyes.

"But you know," Kole continued, glancing at them suspiciously. "It's a little bit odd for people your age to come out here alone. Zanarkand can be a dangerous place, as you saw back in the canals. You have any family here with you?"

"We're not kids you know," Lumina insisted stubbornly, choosing to ignore his question about their parentage. "I turn sixteen next month."

Kole snorted loudly, earning a poisonous glare from her.

"Sorry, sorry," he chuckled, waving his hand again. "I shouldn't make fun. Zanarkand has a lot of young people hanging around. But, most of them are orphans or live on the streets in poverty."

Lumina's eyebrows furrowed as she considered his words. Zanarkand was often advertised as a rising metropolis and a safe place to start a new life without following the outdated practices of New Yevon. To hear that that there were parts of it that had become so impoverished that it's people lived in the gutters made Lumina's skin crawl.

"So…You didn't answer my question," Kole said drawing her from her thoughts. "Do you guys have families? Why did you come to Zanarkand alone?"

"No offense," Lumina said crossing her arms over her chest. "But you're a complete stranger to us. What makes you think I should trust you with such personal information?"

"Well I did just save your lives," he muttered, glancing sideways at her. Lumina pursed her lips irritably. Calli tapped her shoulder lightly and drew closer, whispering in her ear, "Why don't we just tell him? He did help us and what was the point of coming all this way if we don't tell anyone what we're here for?"

Lumina sighed, Calli had a point, this boy had saved them and he seemed trustworthy enough; nonetheless his flippant attitude made her want to leave him floundering.

"Our families are back home," she began, meeting Kole's light green gaze with as much fortitude as she could muster. "We came to Zanarkand to start an official Blitzball team."

Kole's eyebrows twitched before coming together in a frown, "Wait, seriously? That's why you came to the city?"

Lumina nodded firmly, she would not let this stranger's opinion dampen her resolve. Kole stared at her as if she had pyreflies leaking from her ears, finally he shook his head lightly and turned his gaze to look back out of the cockpit.

"Sorry to rain on your parade, but there's no way that's gonna happen."

"Why not?" Lumina found her temper flaring again in spite of the effort made to keep herself under control. "You think just because we're young that no one will want to listen to what we have to say?"

"Well, yes." Kole stated simply. "But that's not the only reason. Zanarkand isn't in the best place right now. Starting a sports team is the last thing on the mind of the City Council."

Lumina scowled, "What nobody here cares about Blitzball? No way that's true. The game has been important to Spira for centuries."

Kole shook his head again, for once his calm features appearing strained, "No, lots of people love Blitz here. My friends and I play for fun all the time….But it's…"

He stopped, flicking a few switches on the dashboard and taking his hands off of the steering wheel as the airship began to descend. Lumina peered out the window and saw what appeared to be another area of the ruins. There was a desolate plaza decorated with a few bits of machinery and the odd cargo box here or there. Against the south side of the small plaza was a broken looking building, however Lumina saw a soft yellow glow emanating from within.

"Look, don't worry about all that right now," Kole said, picking up his sentence again as the airship set down in the middle of the plaza. "Just come in and meet the gang. Dani's always picking up orphans and outsiders. I'm sure she'll be willing to help a couple of lost souls like yourselves. Just remember to be polite."

He gave Lumina a poignant look as he said this. She opened her mouth to retort but he unlocked the cockpit without waiting for a response and began to stroll across the courtyard, hands tucked into his pockets. Calli shrugged when Lumina looked to her for explanation and scrambled out of the ship as well, scurrying after Kole's whose long strides made it difficult for the young girl to keep up. Lumina took a steadying breath, touching the necklace at her throat before following her two companions.

* * *

><p>The inside of the ruined building was a lot homier than Lumina had expected it to be. There was a thick, plush carpet on the floor and the mismatched furniture that decorated the room all looked soft and welcoming. The walls were decorated with symbols and paintings of people, nature, and musical notes. A delicious smell wafted from the back room, where Lumina could hear pots and pans banging and voices laughing boisterously. For a moment she felt the sharp pain of melancholy for her cabin in Besaid, but she pushed it away as Kole began to call out names.<p>

"Guys, come on out! I found some newbies!"

One by one Lumina saw faces appear from behind doors packed in the narrow hallway to the left of the main room. Three young teenagers made their way towards Kole, eyeing Calli and Lumina with wary apprehension.

"Hey guys. Meet Lumina and Calli. They're new to Zanarkand."

The two who seemed a bit older than Lumina appeared to be twins. One was a boy with long dark hair that hung over one of his light blue eyes. The other was a very pretty girl with short brown hair and long, dainty lashes. She smiled at them, revealing dimples in the middle of her rosy cheeks.

"Pleasure to meet you," she said, bowing her head politely. "My name is Ambri. This is my brother Pax."

Pax grunted, his light eyes flickering briefly in their direction before he ducked his head, hiding behind his hair again.

"Calli," Kole said drawing the Al Bhed's attention. "This is my buddy I was telling you about, Kittan."

Kole reached out for the third boy that had approached, grabbing him by his collar and dragging him forward. He rubbed Kittan's short blonde hair affectionately, snapping the rubber band that held the large goggles in place on the boy's forehead.

"Aww, you tellin' girls about me?" Kittan teased, shoving Kole's hands away and focusing his swirling green eyes on the two girls. "The pleasure is all mine ladies."

He bowed deeply, looking up after a pause and winking at Calli, "Always nice to meet another Al Bhed. You can call me Kitt by the way."

A light blush colored Calli's cheeks and for once she seemed speechless. Kole's shoved Kitt's shoulder, rescuing Calli from any further embarrassment. "So, where's Danika?"

"She's in the back with Duncan," Kitt said sticking out his tongue. "Ever since he got that job as chef in the Upper Ring, she can't keep her hands off him."

Kole lifted his eyebrows, "Ladies like a man who can cook, eh?"

"Dani seems to," Ambri added cheerfully.

"Dually noted," Kitt smirked gesturing with his hands as if he were writing in a personal log. "Cooking is sexy."

"Well, I'll go get her," Kole said chuckling at Kitt's enthusiasm. "We've got to get her approval on the newbies."

He disappeared down the long hallway leading to the back where Lumina could still he the metal bag of kitchenware. The group of teenagers stood in the main room silently as a heavy awkwardness fell over them. Kitt stood grinning dumbly at the two of them, Ambri smiled softly although her eyes betrayed her nervousness, Pax made no attempt to appear anything other than bored and Lumina suddenly grew very interested in a lace on her boot.

"Sooooo," Kitt finally tried to break the silence. "What brings you to Zanarkand?"

Before Lumina could explain their story again a loud voice came from the hall and heavy footsteps signaled the return of Kole and whoever it was who was named Danika. The woman who appeared around the corner was not what Lumina had expected when Kole had described a kindly homebody who took in stray waifs off the street. Danika was a very tall, very toned woman with ample breasts to match her ample size. Her lips were cherry red and her eyes a molten gold. Her black hair was pulled into a high ponytail, but shaved on the sides so that it resembled a mohawk. Her skin was a rich chocolate color, a shade that Lumina had only seen present in denizens of Kilika Island.

From the moment she stepped around the corner, it became obvious that she was not in a pleasant mood; obviously perturbed that Kole had distracted her from whatever it was she had been doing in the kitchen. She approached Lumina and Calli in three long strides; Ambri, Pax, and Kitt scattered as she passed. Lumina was forced to look up as Danika came face to face with them. She was taller than Lulu had been and seemed to somehow command even more respect than the somber Black Mage had.

"You two orphans?" Danika asked sharply, her golden eyes seeming to burn through them as she spoke.

"Er, no," Lumina stuttered, struggling to find her voice. "We, uh, we're here to uh…um…"

"We're gonna start a Blitzball team!" Calli suggested helpfully, nudging her cousin in the ribs. The dubious look Danika gave them made Lumina's temper flare once again. The tall woman was making it very difficult to follow Kole's advice about courtesy.

"I told them it was a bad idea," Kole offered quietly, attempting unsuccessfully to gather Danika's attention.

"Not a bad idea," the dark woman muttered. "Just a stupid one. People come here from all over Spira hoping to make their ridiculous daydreams come true. But this place isn't what the Councilors say it is. It's a fiend eat fiend world out here and two little girls who don't know how to take care of themselves aren't going to make it out alive let alone manage to somehow found a National sports team."

"You don't know that!" Lumina found herself shouting. She was tired of having the mission she had set out to achieve crushed by the dour outlooks of these pitiable Zanarkanians. Her father had always encouraged her to follow her dreams and do what her heart told her to. Perhaps it was a naïve way to look at the world, but she wasn't about to let Danika make her feel like a fool. "You don't know even me! Don't tell me what I can or can't do."

Danika's golden eyes were burning with unrestrained indignation now and Lumina swallowed nervously in spite of her previous bravado.

"Alright then," Danika said in a calm voice that contrasted her dangerous expression. "Tell me, just who is it that you think you are?"

Lumina drew back her shoulders, fists clenched at her sides. "My name is Lumina. I'm the daughter of former High Summoner Yuna and the Besaid Aurochs Ace Blitzball player Tidus."

Kole's eyebrows lifted and Kittan's already large green eyes grew somehow wider but Danika's face remained the same.

"Fantastic," she murmured. "My name's Danika, daughter of Adela and Drystan from Kilika Island. My mother worked as a maid at the inn and my father was a bum who begged on the streets. But does my unfortunate heritage make you more worthy than me?"

Lumina was left speechless as she realized how privileged her boasting had made her sound. Danika gave her one final glare before turning on her heel and heading back towards the kitchen, throwing her final comments over her shoulder, "You and your friend can rest here for one night. I've never turned down a visitor before no matter how impudent they might be. But I expect you to be gone in the morning. You don't belong out here and I don't care to use my own funds to feed a self-righteous brat like yourself." With that she disappeared around the corner, leaving the room in absolute silence. Lumina felt tears stinging the corner of her eyes and she scowled furiously in an attempt to stop them from falling. Danika's words had hurt, but the worst part of hearing them was that Lumina realized they were true. Nonetheless, Kole and the others appeared to feel apologetic for their denmother's behavior and they offered the two girls multiple blankets and pillows, to make their stay in the living room more comfortable.

After Calli and Lumina had settled, the other three drifted off to their separate rooms, leaving only Kole behind who knelt by the couch Lumina sat on and looked at her remorsefully. "I'm sorry about Dani. She can be a little rough around the edges."

Lumina nodded but didn't respond otherwise; she was waiting for him to say _I told you so_. But the words did not come. Instead, Kole stood, rubbing the back of his shaggy head as he did so.

"Well, good night. I'll take you guys to the ferry station in the morning."

Lumina watched him go, stunned by his courtesy. She turned to Calli but found that her young cousin had already fallen into a deep sleep on the large, red armchair next to her. She lay back against the plush pillows that Ambri had offered and closed her eyes, praying that sleep would come. When she did finally rest, she dreamed of home.

_Seven-year-old Lumina sat in the middle of their cabin, playing with a plush Moogle doll that Lulu had given her. Yuna sat across from her, battling Lumina's Moogle toy with a Cactaur doll of her own. She looked up from their game when the sound of pounding footsteps came from just outside the cabin's entrance. Tidus burst inside, breathing heavily as if he had run all the way from the beach. Lumina looked up, startled by her father's sudden entrance and concerned that there might be trouble, until she saw the enormous smile lighting up his face._

"_Tidus," Yuna said, standing and moving to stand by his side. "Is everything all right? What did Baralai and Nooj want from you?"_

"_Yuna," he gasped grasping her shoulders as he spoke. "It's incredible! You'll never believe what their plans are this time!"_

"_Well, what is it? Tell me!"_

"_They're going to rebuild Zanarkand!" he cried, excitement making his blue eyes shine like pyreflies._

"_What?" her mother asked, obviously taken aback by his statement, but Lumina could hear a twinge of exhilaration in her voice too._

"_They're rebuilding it!" he shouted again, not doing a much better job of explaining himself. "Nooj was saying how he feels that Spira's been in a perfect Calm for such a long time now that it's time we start taking steps to make it like it was before. The first step is to rebuild Zanarkand and make it the metropolis it was a thousand years ago. They want my help, of course, since I'm the only one around who can remember it."_

_Yuna seemed speechless, Lumina wasn't quite sure what was going on but her father's obvious excitement made her happy anyway. Tidus took Yuna's hands in his own, his enthusiasm turning into something much softer and more subtle. His voice was gentle when he spoke again, "I can finally take you to see the sunrise. Just like I promised all those years ago."_

_He leaned forward and kissed her softly. Lumina stuck out her tongue and groaned in disgust at the display of affection. Tidus stepped away from Yuna, laughing and crossed the room to take Lumina in his arms. He swung her around in the air, making her giggle as he said, "Hear that squirt? We're gonna visit Zanarkand! That's where I grew up you know?"_

_Lumina squeaked as he tossed her in the air, catching just in time and placing her on his shoulder. "We'll go see a game played in the stadium of course! Zanarkand was so big it had two Blitzball teams, can you believe that?" Lumina giggled again in response. "Then we'll head to the North Sector's Plaza and visit the hundreds of food vendors that line the streets! Then we can go to the arcade and finally, the beach!"_

_Yuna was sitting at the dining table now, chin resting in her palm and a wistful smile on her face as she watched Tidus ramble on. Tidus adjusted Lumina in his arms and poked her ribs playfully._

"_I'll take you both to see the sea, before the sunrise. The lights go out one by one, the stars fade, then the horizon glows almost like it's on fire. It's kinda rose colored. First in the sea, then it spreads to the sky, then to the whole city. It gets brighter and brighter, till everything glows! It's really pretty."_

_He tapped the tip of Lumina's nose and grinned at her, "I know you'd like it."_

"_Papa!" Lumina cried, her brows furrowing with disapproval. "You made Mama sad."_

_Tidus looked around to see Yuna, who had tears flowing down her cheeks in spite of the smile that still played on her lips. He chuckled lightly to himself, crossing the room with Lumina still in his arms. "I guess I have a bad habit of doing that huh?"_

_He set Lumina down in Yuna's lap smiling as she gathered Lumina in a snug embrace. She still wasn't entirely sure why it was so exciting to talk about Zanarkand, but both of her parents seemed so happy that it was impossible not to feel giddiness too. The warmth of her mother's embrace made her yawn loudly and Tidus scooped her up, grinning when she blinked blearily at him._

"_Alright, squirt. Time for bed. Your Mama and I have a few more things to _discuss_ about Zanarkand, kay?" he stressed the word 'discuss' and winked at her mother, but Lumina didn't understand why._

"_Tidus!" Yuna said, shooting him a cautioning glance. He laughed and shrugged innocently, "Whaaaat? Nothing inappropriate about talking, is there?"_

_Yuna shook her head disapprovingly, but Lumina managed to catch the smile her mother was trying to hide. Tidus took her into her room and tucked her into the mounds of quilts mounted on her bed._

"_Night, squirt." He raised his fist for a fist bump, to which Lumina happily obliged and then ruffled her hair before turning to leave._

"_Night, Papa," she whispered after him, already seeing the brilliant and colorful lights of Zanarkand as she drifted off to sleep._

* * *

><p>Thanks again! Until next time...:)<p> 


	4. Hazing

Howdy everyone, I apologize for taking so long to update this story, college is pretty hectic right now. As such, this chapter is a bit shorter than the last, but hopefully a bit more exciting? :)

Thanks everyone for following/faving this story. Please enjoy and leaving any thoughts or critiques you may have in the review section. I love to hear from readers! Enjoy the obvious throwback to FFX-2!

* * *

><p>The next morning Lumina opened her eyes to the enormous, white grin of one of the largest men she had ever seen. Her cry of surprise was so loud that it sent Calli, who was famous for sleeping harder than a rock, tumbling off of the armchair and onto the floor with a loud <em>thwump<em>. The man who sat next to Lumina leaned back with a deep, rumbling belly laugh.

"**Bwahahaha!**! Sorry 'bout that, newbie. You just looked so peaceful, I couldn't resist messing with ya."

Still trying to calm her racing heart, she sat up and ran her hands through her messy hair in a vain attempt to tame it. As always, the cowlick at the back of her head refused to obey and bounced back up defiantly the moment she smoothed it down.

"Name's Duncan!" the large man said offering her an enormous hand.

"Lumina…" She grimaced as his powerful grip nearly crushed her fingers.

"Oh, I know who you are, little lady," he replied, resting his elbows on his knees and examining her with a grin. "I heard all about you last night. You left quite an impression on Dani, y'know."

Lumina flushed, "Er…yeah."

"Don't worry yourself, too much," Duncan reassured. "Dani can be a bit stubborn, but she's a real sweetheart underneath all the attitude."

_Could've fooled me,_ Lumina thought bitterly. Fortunately she was wise enough to keep her commentary to herself this time…Calli was not.

"Sweetheart?" she said piping up as she resumed her position in the armchair. "She practically threw us out last night!"

Duncan's grin never faltered, "True, but hey, you all still got some time to hang out before she wakes up. Besides you can't go anywhere 'till Kole's ready to take you to the station, right?"

"I guess," Lumina replied quietly. A wave of crushing disappointment rolled over her. Barely more than a day in Zanarkand and her dream had already been shattered. She would be back in Besaid by tonight, facing punishment and most likely confinement. Duncan's face turned sympathetic as she sighed miserably.

"Hey," his booming voice was suddenly much softer. "Dani told me you came here to Blitz. That true?"

"Yeah."

"You any good?"

"She's the best!" Calli boasted, pumping her fist in the air.

Lumina pursed her lips and looked away, "I'm okay." She still hadn't quite gotten past the humiliation she had suffered when Eva relayed her laughable tryout results to the Aurochs.

"Well, c'mon then!" Duncan said rising to his full height and gesturing for the girls to follow him outside. Lumina and Calli blinked uncertainly.

"Kole told you that _**we**_ play too, right?" He elaborated. "Come to the courtyard, let's see what you got."

In spite of her melancholy, the prospect of a Blitzball match overrode her better judgment and she was on her feet and out the door before Calli could even rise from the armchair.

They followed Duncan into the courtyard where they had landed the previous night. Kole's ship still sat in the far corner, it's sleek, black surface reflecting the golden light of dawn.

Duncan picked up a small, rounded object that vaguely resembled a Blitzball, however it was noticeably different than the ones used during official league matches. It was made of what appeared to be fabric and rope, but when he passed it to Lumina she felt that it had the same heft and bounce of an actual Blitzball. She bounced it lightly in her hands before tossing it upwards, waiting for it to fall to just the right height before leaping into the air and spiking it hard in Duncan's direction. The impact left her hand tingling and red; proof of her power…She loved that feeling.

Duncan was unprepared for the speed of the serve, but his massive bulk dramatically increased his guarding ability and all he had to do was stand in place as the ball came down to smack him directly in the chest.

"Nice power serve," he murmured to himself as he picked up the ball. "But can you block?"

Smirking roguishly, he took a step back, returning Lumina's serve with one of his own. It came flying towards her at an incredible speed.

She barely had time to block, raising her hands hastily and stumbling backwards as the ball rebounded off of her forearms and into the air. Shaking the muted buzzing sensation from her arms, she tracked the ball's trajectory and flipped backwards as it came back towards her, launching it towards Duncan with her heels.

He laughed loudly again, allowing the ball to fly over his head, "Fancy, fancy, little lady. You ever play for a team?"

Lumina's triumphant grin faded, "No. Not officially."

Duncan planted his fists on his hips, "Well you've got enough spunk for it, I'll give you that."

Smirking she said, "Pass it again."

"Heeeeey!" A loud cry from within the house surprised them both. Kitt came dashing into the courtyard, his messy blonde hair sticking up in all directions and the large goggles that sat on his forehead set askew. "Duncan! How could you start a game without me?"

"What and risk waking you up?" Duncan teased, planting a large hand on Kitt's fuzzy head and rubbing it heartily. "I didn't feel like facing the _beast_ this morning."

Kitt shoved his hand away, turning to Lumina with large, expressive eyes, "Hey, I saw you serve. That was awesome! I didn't know you Blitzed."

Calli quickly injected herself into the conversation, "That's why we came to Zanarkand!"

"Huh?"

"We want to start an official team!"

The young Al Bhed boy's eyes lit up, "Woah! Seriously? That would be amazing! Dunc, wouldn't that be great? An official Zanarkand Blitz team."

Duncan had crossed his arms over his massive chest, "You wanna revive the Abes, huh?"

Lumina nodded solemnly. A crooked grin spread across the giant man's face, "Spunk, kid. Spunk."

"Hey! Let's play; you haven't seen what I can do," Kitt said throwing the ball upwards. Duncan smacked it away before Kitt could react, sending him scrambling across the courtyard in a hasty attempt to catch it.

"Pass!" Lumina shouted. Kitt nodded planting himself and raising his arms. He did something then that surprised her. Instead of shooting the ball in her direction, he let it fall into his open arms, using its momentum to send it flowing seamlessly from his hands and back into the sky. He had not even moved and the ball slid along his limbs as smoothly as if he were made of glass. Lumina leapt for the ball, catching it and tossing it back towards Duncan as she exclaimed, "What was that?"

Kitt grinned and rubbed the back of his head, "I can't catch to save my life. But I'm good at passing."

"I'll say!"

Their impromptu game continued on for quite some time and eventually they gained a bit of an audience when Ambri and her twin brother, Pax emerged from the house, joining Calli on the sidelines and watching the game with wide eyes.

"Lumina!" Calli shouted as Duncan received the ball and prepared to launch it once more across the courtyard. "Do the T-Shot! Do the T-Shot!"

Lumina frowned; her attempts at executing her father's most infamous serve had never been quite successful. It was a difficult maneuver, requiring not only a powerful lift, but also an extraordinary amount of momentum that would give her enough airtime to kick the ball with the correct trajectory before she hit the ground. If she landed wrong, serious injury was a very real possibility. But the opportunity to impress her new acquaintances was too tempting to pass up. She called for Duncan to throw the ball high. He nodded, cocking his arm back and hurling it into the air. She tensed, gathering all of the power she could muster as the ball climbed higher and higher. As soon as it was directly overhead, she shot into the air, wrenching herself sideways and using the momentum built up in her lower body to swing her leg around, slamming it into the ball with all she had. Her serve was powerful, but incredibly off center and before Kitt had a chance to move, the ball had nailed him right between the eyes, sending him flying into the concrete.

"Kitt!" She cried, landing sloppily and stumbling to his side with Duncan close behind. "I'm so sorry! Are you ok?"

"That….was…..so…..Cool."

"Don't worry about him, he's had worse." The voice was Kole's. Lumina turned around to see he had also joined the group in the courtyard. Her heart fell as he approached; if he was awake, then it meant that the time for her and Calli's departure had come.

Kole helped the dazed Kitt to his feet and turned to face Lumina, "You're a good player. I didn't realize you were actually serious when you told me why you'd come to Zanarkand last night."

"You're really going to start a Blitzball team?" the timid question came from Ambri, who stood on the edges of the assembled group.

"I wanted to. But…" She sighed. "I don't know where to start. Calli and I don't have anywhere to stay."

Kitt's face lit up, "Stay with us! We could help start your team!"

Duncan put a heavy hand on the boy's shoulder, "Kitt…You know what Danika said last night."

"Whatever!" Kitt argued, pinning Lumina with bright green eyes. "Just apologize to her and promise to clean the bathroom for a week, or something. She'll get over it!"

"Kitt…"

"Maybe he's right," Ambri said softly. "Maybe we can convince Dani—"

"Convince me of what?"

In unison, everyone turned to see the infamous Danika striding towards them, her bright, golden eyes glinting dangerously, "Didn't I tell you to be gone by the time I woke up this morning?"

"Dani," Kitt piped up defensively. "You should let her stay. She's a really good Blitzer!"

Danika looked ready to throw a stinging retort, when Lumina stepped forward, chin lifted and fists clenched at her side, "Listen, I'm sorry about last night. I was out of line. I was rude and I'd like to ask for your forgiveness. Please give us another chance."

Danika's arched one fine eyebrow, her expression dubious. Lumina gulped as she waited for a response, but none seemed forthcoming, in fact Dani only seemed to grow more doubtful with every passing second.

"She's got nowhere else to go," Kole added helpfully. "And she really is good."

"Oh really?" Danika's golden eyes suddenly narrowed suspiciously. "Then I'd like to see how good she is _myself_."

Before Lumina could move to grab the ball, Danika lifted a hand. Without turning around, she spoke to Ambri over her shoulder, "Ambri, be a dear and go grab Lucky."

"Oh, Dani, please don't—"

"Go on, hon."

The young girl sighed, throwing Lumina a sympathetic glance before hurrying back into the house. The mood of the entire group had suddenly shifted; Duncan looked thoughtful, Kole and Kitt appeared apprehensive, Pax continued to look apathetic and Calli shared Lumina's blatant confusion.

"Who's Lucky?"

Dani smiled, "He's what will let me know if you've really got what it takes to join the crew. Alright everyone, let's set up some goal posts."

Lumina watched nervously from the sidelines as the others went about creating a makeshift arena with only a single goal at the western end of the courtyard. Ambri reappeared in the doorway, poking her head around the frame and gesturing for Lumina to come inside.

"So, who's Lucky?" she asked the young girl upon joining her inside.

"This is Lucky," Ambri pointed to a heap of yellowish, fuzzy-looking cloth folded at her feet. A large round head with two pointed ears and a bright red, ball sat next to it; staring up at Lumina with empty eye holes. "You have to put it on."

"Is that a moogle…suit?"

"Uh huh…" Ambri's expression was so apologetic that Lumina was tempted to remind her that it was Dani who had inflicted this penalty, not her. Resigning herself to humiliation, Lumina lifted up the heavy suit, climbing inside of it as Ambri helped zip up the back. It was unbearably hot inside and difficult to maneuver. The suits arms and legs ended in stubby paws leaving her with barely any use of her hands.

She allowed herself to be led back outside, receiving a smattering of uncomfortable snickers and an outright squeal of pleasure from Calli.

"Lumina! You look so cute!"

Lumina shoved her cousin away with stubby arms, "Stop." It was nearly impossible to see out of the tiny, eyeholes in the costume's ridiculously oversized head, but she turned towards where she thought Danika was standing and said, "Ok, I'm in your stupid costume. What do you want me to do?"

Danika's voice came from the exact opposite direction of where she was facing, obvious glee coloring her tone, "Citizens of Zanarkand, I would like to introduce a very special guest. Making his first and maybe last appearance with our crew, give it up for Zanarkand's very own mascot—Lucky the Moogle!"

Kitt snorted and Pax gave a slow round of applause, but the others seemed to have finally grasped the severity of embarrassment Lumina was suffering.

Dani began pushing Lumina towards the makeshift goal post that had been erected. "Welcome to Zanarkand. Let's see how you move."

Lumina stumbled the last few feet, the costume's large head swiveling around backwards, leaving her completely blind. She heard Duncan and Kole beginning to protest the treatment, but Danika ignored their comments and commanded Duncan to make the first serve. Finally managing to turn her head around again, Lumina felt the embarrassment evolve into anger. If Danika wanted a fight, then she would go down swinging. As Duncan dawdled near the opposite end of the court, still trying to find some excuse to _not_ punt the Blitzball at the blind, moogle-girl Lumina took advantage of the silence, raising her voice past the thick wall of fabric in front of her and shouting, "Bring it on!"

Duncan's booming laughter echoed around the courtyard and the next thing Lumina knew she was on the ground; his serve pounding her in the gut and sending her flying. Leaping to her feet, she shouted a challenge again, this time managing to block Kole's serve with her face. The head spun around again and she fumbled to right it before the next ball came flying. The suit was cumbersome and heavy and every leap she made to block the Bliztballs took much more strength to execute than normal. It was also hot, very hot. She was sweating profusely within the first few minutes of Danika's game, exhaustion taking over her limbs and making her sluggish. But she refused to give Danika the satisfaction of calling her a quitter, or a wimp, or whatever other insults might be going through that deprecating brain of hers.

Many of the shots Lumina missed, but as she continued to play she realized that the others were cheering for her now, even as they shot round after round of deadly Blitzballs at her head. Duncan whooped loudly every time she stopped a pass, shouting incoherent compliments at the top of his lungs. Kitt couldn't seem to get over how ridiculous she looked and was barely able to make any serious shots. At least that made his passes easy to block. When she managed to catch a glimpse of Danika through the narrow eyeslits, Lumina thought she caught a hint of a smile on the older woman's face; but whether it was malicious or encouraging was anyone's guess. Lumina wasn't sure how long the torment went on, it certainly felt like an eternity, but at long last Danika stepped forward and declared, "Alright newbie. Here comes your final shot. Block it."

Lumina scrunched her face in concentration; up until this point she had just been trying to avoid utter humiliation, but now Danika was serving. She could not miss this shot. It was her last chance to prove that she deserved a place in the crew. Dani tossed the ball high into the air, running forward and leaping to meet it. The resounding smack that came from Danika's serve was so loud that it echoed in Lumina's ears clearly in spite of the thick moogle costume. Time seemed to slow as the Blitzball approached. The serve was too powerful to block with her stubby arms; if she tried it would probably tear right through the costume and her shoulder as well. The suit was too bulky to pull off some sort of fancy block, but if she used that extra girth to her advantage (as Duncan had earlier) then she had a decent chance of deflecting the ball. She stumbled forward, shouting incoherently and leaping upward with the last of her strength. Danika's serve hit her hard, square in the chest, knocking her to the ground and driving the air from her lungs.

She lay on the concrete dazed, the loud ringing in her ears drowning out the cheers and shouts from the others. Suddenly the moogle's head was taken off and Duncan's large white grin appeared before her eyes, "You got spunk, little lady! Like I said, _spunk_!"

Kitt and Calli appeared over her next, their similar blonde features blending together through her blurred vision.

"That was nuts!" Kitt shouted exuberantly. "You blocked Dani's power-serve with _**your face**_! Are you ok?"

"I'm great…"she coughed, attempting to regain the ability to breathe. She felt a hand grab her stumpy arm and pull her to her feet. Danika stood in front of her, an odd expression on her face.

"Kole," Dani said stepping away from Lumina, who swayed unsteadily. "Take these young ladies to the airship station."

"Wha—"Lumina began to protest. She had passed the test, she was supposed to be allowed a place to stay. "You said—"

"But take them on a little tour of the city first," Danika continued, ignoring Lumina and returning to the house. "It'd be a shame if they came all this way without getting to see all the wonders of New Zanarkand."

Lumina was too tired to be angry anymore, she just felt defeated. Duncan laid a heavy hand on her shoulder, "Sorry little lady. It was great to meet ya, though! You take care now!"

He hurried after Danika along with the twins, who did nothing more but send Lumina sorrowful glances. The courtyard grew quite as Kitt, Kole, Lumina and Calli stood dumbfounded. Finally, Kole broke the silence, turning towards his black airship and gesturing for the others to follow, "Come on. We've got a lot to do if you want to see the city before you go."

* * *

><p>The four of them piled into the airship (after Lumina left Lucky in a crumpled heap on the ground) and Kole took them past the countless slums and towards the upper sectors.<p>

"I didn't realize there was so much poverty here," Calli murmured quietly as they flew over what seemed like miles of dirty streets and cramped, tiny houses.

"Yeah…" Kole murmured in reply. "It's been a mess for awhile now…"

"It's President Sigurd's fault!" Kitt shouted suddenly. "The city elected him to make a change. That's what he promised us…But it's only gotten worse."

Lumina frowned; this wasn't anything like she had imagined Zanarkand to be.

"Look, don't worry about that," Kole deflected again. "It's not your problem anyway. Let's just enjoy the Upper Sectors today."

For some reason, his comment stung.

* * *

><p>They landed in a large lot alongside many other airships of varying shapes and sizes. Kole led them along a large street, filled with vendors, babbling citizens, and wandering children. It was a complete contrast compared to what they had seen in the lower sectors.<p>

Kole took them to a particular vendor, ordering something from the man who stood behind the counter with a few golden gil. Turning around, he handed each of his three companions a mysterious steaming meat pierced on a long wooden stick.

"What is this?" Lumina asked crinkling her nose. "It smells fishy…"

"That's because _it is_ fish!" Kitt explained, shoving the entire piece of meat into his mouth. "It's a _fish_ stick! How have you never had one of these before? Have you been living under a rock your whole life?"

"I hate fish."

"Wait, you told me that grew up on an island, right? And you don't eat fish?" Kole asked cocking an eyebrow.

"Yeah…"

He snorted loudly, patting Lumina's shoulder and shaking his head, "You're quite a trip Lumina."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He just laughed, turning around and gesturing for the others to follow. Lumina stood her ground, not quite sure whether she should feel offended or complimented by his comment. As Kitt passed, he tapped Lumina's shoulder and whispered in her ear, "That means he likes you…"

Lumina felt her face begin to burn as she registered Kitt's words. Ignoring Calli's comment on how red her face had become, she hurried after the boys, dodging vendors who waved bits of food and shiny items in her face as she passed.

* * *

><p>Kole continued to lead them around the city, stopping once the reached a large courtyard filled with civilians who milled around a large, elaborately constructed fountain. In the center of the fountain was an enormous statue of a man, whose stony fist was raised into the air charismatically.<p>

"Who's that?" Calli asked in awe.

"President Sigurd," Kole replied darkly. "He's quite the hero here in the Upper Sectors."

Lumina watched as people threw Gil into the fountain, clapping their hands quickly before the coins hit the water.

"What are they doing?"

"It's just a stupid ritual. If you make a donation and clap three times before your money hits the water, supposedly you'll have good fortune for the rest of the year."

"Oh…" Stupid tradition, he had called it. Nonetheless, Lumina couldn't help but wonder if a wish from the illustrious fountain would somehow help her own dream become a reality.

* * *

><p>Continuing on, Kole led them to an elevated highway where dozens of couples strolled together. Some stood leaning over the railways, pointing and laughing as airships flew overhead. From their new vantage point, Lumina could see the entirety of Zanarkand spread out before her. Even in the daylight, the city glowed like an enormous pyrefly; the slick, metallic surfaces of the houses and roads reflecting the sunlight like a mirror.<p>

"It's beautiful," she whispered; allowing herself to imagine that this is what her father had seen when he told her about the City of Lights.

"It's an illusion," Kole muttered darkly. He pointed to the horizon where Lumina could vaguely make out the dingy outline of the crowded slums where Danika and the others resided. "Up here it's a paradise. But down there is chaos and poverty and no one gives a damn. The so called 'leaders' of this city are corrupt and turn a blind eye to anything that would cost them a single meager gil to fix. They continue to tax the people in the slums and then refuse them jobs in the Upper Sectors."

He turned to Lumina, his brows furrowed angrily, "That's why I told you to give up on your Blitzball plan. The city doesn't need a sports team right now. It needs a revolution."

Before Lumina could respond, he turned and continued down the highway. She looked back at Kitt and Calli who in turn gave her apologetic glances.

"But couldn't something like an official Blitzball team bring the people together? It's an equalizer isn't it? Anyone can enjoy it…It doesn't matter how much gil you have."

"Yeah, sure," Kitt agreed half-heartedly. "But Kole has a point. I mean, who would support it in the first place? Wouldn't you need some money or something to start it up? You can't just get a group of people together and call yourself an official team. There's paperwork to do and gil to spend and all that other adult stuff, right?"

He pulled Calli onward, leaving Lumina behind before she could retort.

* * *

><p>They continued to explore until sunset, at which point Kole made a suggestion for their final stop, "I know! Before we take you to the station, let's visit the sea!"<p>

"The sea?" Calli, tilting her head and accidentally dripping some of the ice cream Kole had bought her onto Kitt's shoulder.

"Yeah, it's beautiful at sunset! The lights from the city illuminate the whole beach and the horizon glows, almost like it's on fire!"

Lumina was taken back to her childhood as Kole spoke the same words her father had years ago, when he had promised that they would visit Zanarkand together.

_It's almost rose colored, right? It's really pretty. I know you'd like it._

"Come on," Kole continued. "I know you'd like it."

Lumina felt her stomach twist, sickeningly.

"Great, let's go!" Calli said, pulling on her cousin's hands.

"No."

"Huh?" Kole and Kitt turned around, confused by her sudden obstinacy.

"I don't want to go to the beach," she said, trying to hide the quiver in her voice. _Not without him_.

"You—Why not?"

"Yeah, come on Lu!" Calli insisted. "It's our last chance!"

"Look, if you all want to go then go _without_ me. I'm…I'm ready to go home now." She pulled away from Calli, crossing her arms and looking away stubbornly.

Kole's expression was unreadable, but his tone seemed understanding when he finally said, "It's ok. It's getting late anyway, we should get you two to the station."

"You'll be able to see the sunset from the air," he added when Calli groaned dramatically. The four of them turned around and began trudging back into the city. Lumina, who felt as if her chest was now filled with lead, trailed behind the rest, concentrating on her feet and trying to tune out the sky above her that now burned a beautiful, rosy-red.

* * *

><p>It wasn't until they reached the airship station that Calli suddenly shouted, "Wait! I forgot our bag back at the house!"<p>

"Huh?"

"Our bag Lumina! It's got our money, your goggles and knife in it. We have to go back."

"You've been wandering around without it all day and just _now_ realize that it's gone?"

"I'm sorry!" Calli whined, hopping from foot to foot anxiously. "I was so distracted by your game earlier that I didn't realize I left it inside!"

Lumina sighed, turning to Kole to ask for permission but he was already hopping back inside his black airship, gesturing for them to follow, "Come on, let's go before it gets too dark."

The flight back to Danika's abode was quick, nonetheless the moon had risen completely by the time they arrived. Lumina was surprised to see another airship sitting in the courtyard, it's bright head beams outlining three figures who stood arguing outside the house.

"Oh no…"Kole groaned once he too saw the confrontation.

"What's going on?" Lumina asked anxiously.

"The Collectors."

That didn't explain much, but from his tone Lumina was able to gather that it wasn't anything good. Kole landed his own airship right beside the other, leaping out of the cockpit and hurrying towards the illuminated figures. Lumina was at his heels, realizing as they came closer, that it was Danika who stood in the light of the head beams, cornered by two heavily-armored men.

"We told you last week that your rent would be due today," one of the men said in an irritated tone.

"And I told you I'm not paying rent for this dump that I made livable _using my own_ funds! This is my place, I don't owe the City Council anything," Danika's voice was absolutely ferocious.

"This district is owned by the Council. Whether or not you prettied up this little shit-hole with your own gil is irrelevant," the man retorted angrily. "You live here now so you owe the Council taxes. Your 3000 gil is due today, 600 for each resident, like we discussed."

"Do you think this "shit-hole" is worth 3000 gil?" Dani was practically shouting now. "This place is barely big enough to house more than a cactaur and it's crammed to the brim with _five_ people. People I support, mind you. I don't have anything to spare for your stupid tax fees."

"Look you chose to take those little rats in!" The man retorted with equal venom. "I'm not responsible for how you live your petty existence here, I just collect. Besides...I happen to know what it is you do to make your gil...I've heard the names people call you around here. You've got enough to pay me and then some."

"Hey!" Lumina had heard enough by now. This man, seemingly tasked to enforce the laws and protect the citizens of Zanarkand, was verbally abusing Danika and every member of the ill-fated gang that she had met today. Lumina had never been able to stand bullies; especially one's with power like the Collector that stood before her. She stormed right up to the tall man, squaring her shoulders and puffing out her chest, "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Who's this little punk?" the second soldier said with a snigger. "Looks like we'll have to increase rent if you've picked up some more street rats."

"You can't treat these people like this!" Lumina shouted, ignoring the comment. "They're humans just like you! They're barely scraping by and you come here, treat them like animals and then expect some sort of payment?! Just who the hell do you think you are?"

"I'm a captain of the Zanarkand Enforcers doing the job I was assigned by the Council," the man sneered angrily. "Who are _you?_"

Lumina glowered, giving the man the most intense gaze she could muster before murmuring, "I'm the one who's gonna kick your ass if you ever show up and treat these people like this again."

The man's eyes narrowed and he shifted his grip on the large blaster gun at his hip, "You little—"

"Lumina," Danika's voice has evened considerably and she stepped forward, laying a hand on the younger girl's shoulder and pushing her aside gently. She was suddenly much calmer, facing the Collecter with much more composure than before, "Look, we don't have the money. I can't pay you. Allow me to speak with your Commander and work out a deal."

The Collector sneered, "The Commander won't stoop to deal with the likes of you."

He looked around at the assembled group; if he chose to fight, he would be outnumbered 5:2 in spite of the weapons he carried.

"You've got four days until I come back here with my entire squad," he said after a tense stare down. "You pay up, or I'm evicting you with force. Got it?"

He didn't wait for a response, instead gesturing for his partner to follow before scrambling into their airship-leaving behind a trail of dust and smoke as they took off. Lumina was still shaking with rage and adrenaline when Danika put a hand on the top of her head, "You know, you ladies missed the last airship out of the city. The Station is closed by now. I suppose I have no choice but to let you stay for one more night."

Ruffling Lumina's hair lightly, she turned towards the house disappearing through the doorframe and leaving the four of them standing dumbstruck in the courtyard.

"I can't believe you told the Collector you'd kick his butt," Kitt said astonished. Calli laughed, leaning on Lumina's shoulder amiably, "That's my cousin for you! She's got an attitude!"

"I do not," she defended. "I just can't stand people like him. He had no right to call any those horrible names."

Kole smiled, patting her shoulder as he too headed into the house, "Like I said Lumina, you're quite the trip."

Calli and Lumina exchanged quiet smiles, following the boys inside and out of the cold night air.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading everyone! Let me know what you thought!<p>

See you next update.


	5. La Via Boheme

**Wow, thanks everybody! I was honestly blown away by the responses I got in my previous update. I had no idea everyone was enjoying the story so much! ;D I appreciate everyone who sent in their opinion: as you can see, this story will continue! YAY**

**A very deep thanks goes out to all my readers and those who reviewed: **

**Gambit Hawk**

**TidusGrepo**

**and Devangire93. Thanks guys, you all majorly inspired this chapter!**

**Oh, before I go I want to make something clear. I'm not a fan of FFXIII, never have been never will be. I only recently discovered that there is a character in Lightning Returns named Lumina. I just wanted to point out that I DID NOT steal the name, I had no idea it was already in use by Square..hehe heh...*grumbles about owning FFX and how I had the name Lumina waaaay before ff13 and...* ahem. Anyway! If you love FFXIII more power to ya! I just wanted to make sure no one thinks I ripped off her name. **

**Anyways! Enjoy! Take a shot everytime you spot a reference from Rent! Hint: If you catch every single one you'll be dead by the end of this chapter...*Cheers***

* * *

><p><strong><em>"I'm trouble, <em>****_Yeah Trouble now, I'll trouble ya'll I got trouble in my town." -P!nk Trouble_**

_The morning after tryouts was chaotic to say the least. Word of Lumina's disappearance spread quickly around the tiny island. Eventually, the probing questions from the islanders became too much and Yuna took refuge in Lulu's cabin. She hadn't been there long when a rustle of fabric signaled the appearance of Vidina. He came into the cabin panting, "Is it true? Is she gone?"_

_Lulu nodded and her son collapsed into a nearby char, groaning loudly as he buried his face in his large hands, "It's all my fault…."_

"_Vidina…" Lulu chided, coming to stand by his side._

"_But it is!" He looked up at her with large, watery eyes. "Ma, I'm the one who let her compete in tryouts. If I hadn't, then she wouldn't have-Eva wouldn't have-"_

_Lulu placed a comforting hand on her son's head, stroking his wild orange hair softly, "Vidina, Lumina's disobedience is not your fault. Her decisions are not yours to control."_

"_But, I was supposed to protect her…."_

_Lulu glanced at Yuna, gesturing for her to assist in assuaging Vidina's conscious. But before she could, there was more movement near the entrance and Wakka emerged from behind the tent flap, followed by his son's new companion, Eva._

"_I heard Lumina left the island last night, dat true?" Wakka asked, glancing around the room at the assembled group._

_Yuna nodded, "She escaped on Calli's airship after tryouts."_

_Wakka sighed heavily, his bulky shoulders dipping, "That kid….Both she and her father got no respect for the rules, ya?"_

_Yuna tried not to let the comment sting. Eva stepped forward, her slanted black eyes shining with a peculiar light, "Pardon the interruption, but I'm fairly sure I know where it is that your daughter went."_

_All eyes were on the lithe, red head now. Yuna rose to her feet eagerly, "You do? Where?"_

_Eva tossed her fiery hair aside before she spoke, "Well, when I publicized the results of her tryouts, she seemed more than a bit frustrated. I can't say that I know Lumina well, but from what I gathered, she seems to be the type that will ignore boundaries if they get in the way of what she wants."_

_The analysis was a bit tactless, but Yuna couldn't deny it. That was how Lumina had always been, even as a child._

"_Well, before tryouts began I told her and the blonde girl that I had yet to visit the other Blitzball teams around Spira. Seeing as she was rejected from the Aurochs, does it seem feasible to you that she set out to try and join one of the other teams that I have yet to inspect?"_

_Of course, Yuna thought. Eva's notion made perfect sense. As she had guessed upon discovering Lumina's note that morning, it seemed that her daughter had commandeered Calli's airship with the intent to wedge herself into another official Blitzball team before anyone could attempt to stop her. _

"_Oh, Lumina," Vidina groaned hiding his face again. "We have to go after her!"_

"_We've been trying to contact Rikku to see if we can borrow the Celsius," Yuna explained. "But we've had no luck reaching her so far."_

"_Actually," Eva added quickly. "I have an airship large enough for two. Vidina and I would gladly begin the search immediately."_

_Vidina stood, suddenly much more enthused, "Yeah! Eva and I will head out first. We'll start with areas closest to Besaid. That way by the time the Celsius gets here, the rest of you won't have to cover as much ground."_

_Yuna offered them both a grateful smile, "Thank you."_

_Eva bowed her head, "Of course. Like Vidina, I cannot help but feel responsible for instigating your daughter's rash decision."_

"_It's not your fault," Yuna insisted. "Neither of you."_

* * *

><p>It was now nearly a week after Lumina's disappearance and Vidina and Eva had yet to find any clues. However, Yuna and Lulu <em>had<em> finally managed to reach Rikku via CommSphere. She had been gone on an expedition in the Bikanel Desert for quite some time; unable to access any sort of communicative technology due to the frequent sandstorms. Upon the moment of her return to the Al Bhed capitol she had been bombarded with the dozens of frantic messages Yuna left for her requesting her immediate attention. When she finally decided to send a link through the CommSphere, her reaction to the situation had been less than appropriate

Yuna was generally a patient person; there was not much in all of Spira that could truly irritate her. However, the howling laughter of her cousin echoing through the CommSphere in Lulu's tent was beginning to take its toll.

"Rikku, please," Lulu grumbled, giving voice to Yuna's thoughts. "Is it too much to ask that you take this a little more seriously?"

Rikku rubbed her eyes as if wiping away tears, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry...HA! This is just so great!"

"Great? Rikku, you _do_ understand what we just told you right?" Yuna began incredulously. "Our children are missing. They could be anywhere in Spira and we don't even know if they're hurt or in danger."

"Oh come on," Rikku waved her hand nonchalantly. "Yunie, they're almost the same age we were when we set off _to __**save the world **_from monsters and villains!"

Yuna was even more annoyed now. Rikku had abstained from using the nickname "Yunie" for quite some time, saving it only for moments that she felt especially chummy towards her cousin…or when she wasn't taking her seriously.

"But that's just the point, Rikku. Spira isn't the same as it was when we were younger. There's no need for Summoners and Guardians and Sphere Hunters anymore. The people who travel around now are usually dangerous migrants and there are still fiends along most of the roads. Two young girls, with no combat experience and no idea of how to navigate Spira safely are out on their own—aren't you worried?!"

"Well, if you put it that way…I guess it makes sense to worry a little," Rikku tapped her chin as if pondering the situation. After a few moments she shook her head and peered into the CommSphere, a brilliant grin spreading across her cheeks. "But you worry_** too**_ much, Yuna! They'll be okay! What better way to experience Spira than to get out into it!"

"But they completely disobeyed what I—"

"Listen, we Al Bhed have a saying, it goes like this- _**Getc femm pa getc-**_ It means "kids will be kids". Just let 'em live a little bit and they'll come back wiser and happier!"

"I'm fairly sure that is a saying everywhere, Rikku," Lulu muttered.

"Oh…"

"Alright, fine," Yuna was losing her temper at this point; her cousin's seeming indifference towards the situation was becoming grating. "Raise Calli any way you like. However, seeing as how it was _her_ airship that was Lumina's means of escape, I feel that it's only fair that you use _your _airship to help me find her."

Rikku crossed her arms over her chest, pursing her lips, "...Okay. You're right, that's fair."

Yuna leaned back in her chair, sighing exasperatedly, "Thank you."

"I'll bring the Celsius around tomorrow morning…." Rikku sounded utterly disappointed with the resolution of their conversation. Yuna was about to turn the CommSphere off when her cousin's final comment gave her pause. "Tidus would've let her go."

Yuna wasn't sure if Rikku had meant for her to hear her parting thoughts, nonetheless, she could do nothing but stare speechlessly into the empty CommSphere as Rikku severed the link. Lulu put a hand on her shoulder, gently bringing her back to the present.

"We will find her," she said soothingly, but Yuna was too troubled to respond. Rikku's final argument may have been intended to be flippant, but the words cut deep. What _would_ he have done if he were here? She could almost see his face; bright, handsome and smiling as he discovered Lumina's antics. Would he have gone after her? Would he have let her explore? The ache in her chest seemed to swallow her whole as she sat in Lulu's dining room, staring at the floor.

Wakka, who had sat silently throughout the entire conversation, now leaned back in his chair and groaned loudly, "Lumina. She's always been a handful, eh Yuna? Heh heh, guess it was just a matter of time before she did somethin' like this. Can't say I blame her though. You two ladies wouldn't know it, but the need to Blitz is one powerful thing."

"I don't think the desire to play a Blitzball game quite excuses her behavior," Lulu objected, raising an eyebrow.

"After all these years, I still don't get you Lu. A few days ago you said what she did reminded you of Yuna, now you think we she's crossed the line?" Wakka placed his hands on his knees, leaning forward to leer at his wife.

"I just want her to be safe," Lulu said taking a seat at the dining table across from Yuna.

"Mmmmm," Wakka grumbled obviously dissatisfied with her reply. He began rubbing the orange stubble on his chin thoughtfully, looking up at the ceiling as if examining something unseen, "Wonder what _**he**_ woulda done, ya? Probably would've thought it was funny. Ha! It's his fault she's so crazy about Blitz in the first place, ya?"

There was a screech as Yuna's chair grated against the wooden floor.

"Yuna?"

She was on her feet, striding out of the cabin and towards the beach before her friends could even blink.

Next month it would be seven years. Seven long years. Seven years since that day at Luca stadium; the day she'd knelt beside him, praying, crying, and pleading that he would open his eyes….Just once more. Just to say goodbye. But he was gone. He had been even before they'd pulled him from the water. Gone again. It had been seven years and every day she only missed him more.

Before she knew it, her feet had taken her to the beach, to the top of Gull Hill where they had come to watch the sunrises together before Lumina was born. She sat on the edge of low cliff, feet dangling off the side and eyes trained on the crashing waves below. The roar of the water began to drown out all of the thoughts clamoring for dominance in her head. They drowned out the worry for Lumina, the anger for Rikku, and the grief for Tidus.

She sat on the cliff allowing her emotions to swirl without restriction and before long the tears started to fall.

* * *

><p>It had been almost a week since Lumina and Calli had barreled into Zanarkand, crashing quite literally into the lives of Danika and her crew; and yet for all that she had accomplished so far, it may has well have been years that she had been stuck in the tiny, hovel-like apartment. On the bright side she was beginning to learn a lot more about her fellow refugees.<p>

Ambri was quiet and exceedingly polite, but once she began talking about something she truly cared for there wasn't much one could do to quiet her. Lumina learned that she was the one responsible for the beautiful artwork painted all across the apartment walls. Along with that, Ambri took great care in sewing most of the clothes the crew wore with scraps Danika and Duncan managed to pick up in the Market Sector. Not much could be said about her brother, on the other hand. He was quieter than she and seemed to avoid Lumina like a plague.

Duncan was the only one out of the group that had a well-funded job in the upper sectors. He worked as a personal chef to one of the city's politicians, meaning he left early in the morning and returned home late at night. Danika too seemed to have a steady job as she disappeared into the city almost as frequently as her boyfriend did, but Lumina still had not discovered what it was that she did. The others tried to help earn a few extra gil here and there, but there was little opportunity for a group of teenagers in the slums of Sector D.

On the bright side, Calli and Kitt were bonding effortlessly. Both of them had too much energy to contain within their tiny frames and if they weren't outside running in circles they were inside tinkering with the heaps of machina bits that Kitt hoarded in his room, their raucous laughter echoing around the house. Upon learning that Kitt had been orphaned at a very young age and knew almost nothing of his Al Bhed heritage, Calli took it upon herself to teach him all that she knew. Oftentimes Lumina heard them reciting Al Bhed phrases late into the night.

Danika had changed her tune as well ever since Lumina stood up to the bullheaded Collector. She seemed content to let Lumina stay, using the threat of exile only when the young girl succeeded in grating on her already frayed nerves—which began happening more and more frequently as the days went by. In spite of her recently humbled persona, Lumina was anxious to continue pursuing her goal. Thanks to Danika and Kole, she now better understood Zanarkand's dire economic and political struggles, but it didn't stop her from selfishly wanting to focus on her own dream.

Now that she was residing within the City of Lights—the city her father had grown up in—she began to dream of him, and of home, much more often. She woke in the mornings feeling less rested than the night before. It didn't take long for her moods to become increasingly sour and she began withdrawing from the others, sitting at the far end of the dinner table, or standing on the sidelines when the crew practiced Blitz. She found herself fighting tears more often than not and it made her exceedingly angry to be behaving like such a crybaby.

On the fourth night after she had arrived in Zanarkand, she slipped out of the house once everyone else had retired for the night. She strolled along the darkened alleyways, oblivious to possible danger, searching for a spot where she could climb onto the low set rooftops. Eventually she came upon a long abandoned pile of cargo. Hiking up the sleeves of the long, white blouse Ambri had made for her, she leapt onto the boxes, grabbing a hold of tiny nooks in the otherwise slick metal surface of the house with the very tips of her fingers. She scrambled upwards as quickly as a monkey—or at least as ridiculously as one—and found a spot on top of the slanted roof where she could gaze at the stars.

They seemed duller and grayer than the ones she was used to seeing during her long walks on the beach in Besaid. She felt the familiar pang of sorrow stabbing at her heart. Her plan seemed to be destined for disaster since before she had even left the island. She had failed to become an Auroch. She had failed to start a team in Zanarkand. She had failed to find her place with the only group that had agreed to take her in.

Hiding her face in her hands, she dug the heel of her palms into her eyes attempting to stop the tears before they could start, "Stop….crying…."

"Hey, what'cha up to?"

The voice took her by surprise, considering she sat atop a roof. Whirling around she saw Kole pushing himself up the lip of the rooftop and strolling leisurely to sit beside her. She quickly swiped a hand across her nose, hoping to hide any sign of sloppy tears before replying, "Oh! You know…nothing. Just…thinking."

"You homesick?" She looked at him. He was smiling sympathetically, his light green eyes reflecting the moonlight like a cat.

"How'd you know?"

"Heh. It's not hard to tell, it's written all over your face." Lumina consciously wiped her nose again.

"Besides," Kole continued leaning back on his hands. "I was the same way when I first came to Zanarkand."

"You were?"

"Mhmm. Back then, I lost two people who were very important to me," he looked at her meaningfully and for a moment she was afraid he somehow knew everything about her that there was to tell. Her anxiety waned when he glanced away again, looking up at the stars and sighing deeply.

"I was born in Bevelle. My father was a Praetor in training and my mother was a dedicated member of the Youth League remnants."

Lumina recalled being told once of her mother's adventures with the Gullwings, when they had striven to make piece among the fractioned forces of Spira. Even after their journey there was some animosity between the remaining groups for quite a few years.

"My old man didn't care about her political beliefs at first, he was too much in love with her. In fact, he thought he could protect her from all the people in Bevelle who would hate her for what she believed in. But things changed the deeper he got into his training. They began to fight a lot and he started venting to some of the other acolytes at the temple. They began to see my mother as some sort of anarchist and soon enough they came to our house. I wasn't home, but if I had been-"

He paused glancing towards Lumina who stared at him with wide eyes. He chuckled lightly before continuing, "The soldiers barged in and started to argue with my mother. She had my baby brother with her then and her claws were bared. The fight got too intense, someone fired the first shot and….Well, who knows if what happened was an accident or not. Nevertheless, I lost my mother and brother that day. Didn't take long after that for my old man to pack us up and move us here to Zanarkand."

"I'm so sorry…" She breathed, still staring at him attentively.

"It's not your fault."

"I know that," her gaze fell to her lap. "But I'm still sorry."

"It's ok."

"It is?"

He nodded, "For a long time afterwards I hated everything and everyone. I wanted Bevelle to pay. I wanted to walk right up to those soldiers and let them feel the pain my mother did. But I finally realized that that's not what she would want."

Kole paused again, gazing at the moon intently, "My mother was a spitfire, believe me. But she was part of the Youth League and they wanted peace and stability for Spira just as much as the New Yevoners did. What happened that day could've happened to anyone. But it happened to her. She wouldn't want me to carry on that legacy of hate, ya know?"

"How can you forgive those soldiers?! Don't you miss her?" Lumina blurted without thinking—as she was often prone to doing.

"Of course I miss her," Kole sounded surprised by the accusation. "I miss her and my baby brother every day. A lot of the time I find myself wondering how they'd like living in Zanarkand with me. But missing them isn't going to bring them back. If I keep focusing on what happened in the past, then I'm not going to have a future. I can keep them with me and spirit and still move forward with my own life."

His answer seemed to reach the very core of Lumina's being. Kole had experienced just as much loss and heartache as she and yet, he had found a way to accept it and move onward without losing the essence of their memory. It was a level of peace that Lumina found positively unattainable. Her throat began to tighten and she felt the burning sensation of tears as they formed in the corners of her eyes.

"Oh crap—I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to—," Kole began to flounder when he realized that she was crying.

"No, it's not your fault," she hiccupped, rubbing her eyes furiously. "I can't stop crying these days….I'm such a baby."

"I dunno," he began in a lighthearted tone. "Usually babies scream more." She managed a quiet laugh, grateful that he was trying to help.

"I got it!" he said suddenly leaping to his feet. "Come with me, I'll show you what I do when I get upset."

Kole reached down and grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet before she had a chance to be embarrassed by the gesture. Together they scrambled down the side of the building and he led her through a side alley and onto one of the main roads where a single, flickering light post stood on the far sidewalk. He pulled her up to the post and dipped his head in its direction, "Kick it."

"Huh?"

"Kick it. You won't hurt it. Just kick it, let out all your frustration in one huge kick!"

She blinked at him, for a brief moment concerned that they would get in trouble for doing such a thing, then she remembered where they were—the slums. No one would care. Tightening her hands into fists, she raised one leg, kicking outward with all of her strength. Her foot connected with the metal light post sending an odd, warbling echo through the quiet night air.

"Nice," Kole said giving her a thumbs up. "Now _actually_ kick it."

Lifting her foot she kicked the pole again. The flimsy metal post warbled and swayed precariously above them.

"Good. Now shout when you do it this time."

"What do I shout?"

"Anything. Anxieties, words, fears…or nothing. Sometimes just screaming works too."

Taking a deep breath, she attacked the pole once more this time shouting at the top of her lungs—allowing all of the sorrow, frustration, and anxiety of the past week to escape in a single burst of air.

"Awesome!" Kole praised. "My turn." He swung his foot into the pole with such force that Lumina felt the gust of wind it created. His cry echoed into the empty streets, bouncing off of the metal building and growing quieter and quieter until it faded entirely. Lumina couldn't help but laugh as Kole gestured for her to take another turn. Together the two of them beat the pole mercilessly, shouting and laughing until they were both doubled over with glee.

"This is nuts," Lumina gasped through her laughter.

"Works though, right?"

She nodded aiming a final kick at the post, however the laughter was distracting and her swing missed. The momentum sent her stumbling directly into Kole's chest. He caught her quickly and she suddenly became very aware of his hands on her shoulders. She gulped, heat rising in her cheeks as they stood there frozen, the tension in the air becoming palpable. Finally, she regained enough of her senses to push herself off of him, her eyes flickering to the ground as she mumbled, "Um…thanks."

"Don't mention it," he said with a shy smirk. The silence stretched uncomfortably between them. "Umm….Well, it's late. I guess we should head back?"

"You lead the way, I have no idea where we are." Kole laughed turning around and gesturing for her to follow. In spite of the chilly night air, Lumina felt warm and fuzzy inside for the first time in weeks.

* * *

><p>The following evening Lumina happened to walk in on Danika and Duncan fervently discussing the issue of rent. The Collector that Lumina had fought off a few days ago had promised to return with a larger group of Enforcers and they still had not managed to collect enough funds to pay him. Duncan's job as a chef waged quite a bit more than any job available in the slums, but it was hardly enough to put aside anything for rent when there was now eight mouths to feed. Lumina felt guilty for contributing to Danika's hardships, but she didn't know what she could do to help.<p>

Leaving the house, she called Kitt, Calli and Kole to join her in the courtyard where they began to toss around the Blitzball as they talked.

"So the Collector's gonna be here tomorrow, right?" Lumina asked as she lobbed the ball at Kole. He caught it easily, twirling it around his finger before replying.

"Yeah…Not sure what Dani plans on doing about it."

Lumina bit her lip, if only there was some way the rest of them could help raise some gil. The small group continued to chat, passing around ideas along with the ball. As they played, Lumina was reminded of the goal that had originally driven her to Zanarkand. Perhaps, Blitzball was the answer. National Teams were practically celebrities, they made thousands of gil every day. Danika arrived in the courtyard, interrupting their game and calling them inside to dinner.

"Dani!" Lumina said, hurrying towards her new home mother. "I've got an idea for the rent! What if we used Blitzball to—"

Dani put up a hand to silence her, "Lumina, I'm really not in the mood for your ridiculous Blitzball scheme again."

"But I'm telling you—"

Danika leaned forward, peering at Lumina with her bright golden eyes, "You, little miss, need a serious dose of reality. You come with me after dinner—in fact, all of you little ones should tag along. There's something I want to show you."

Lumina followed her back into the house, shoulders slumped in defeat.

* * *

><p>After the small but tasty dinner prepared by Duncan was completed, Danika led the entire group into the cramped, maze-like streets of Sector D.<p>

"Where are we going?" Calli whispered to Kitt who strolled casually beside her. He shrugged, seemingly nonplussed by the sudden outing, "No idea."

Danika of course, overheard their obnoxiously loud whispers and said, "We're going to the abandoned Market District."

"Why?" Lumina chimed in.

Danika's golden eyes flashed in her direction, "I'm gonna show you exactly what this city has to offer for hopeful dreamers like yourself."

They walked the rest of the way in silence, taking in the dozens of dilapidated buildings and homeless urchins wandering the streets. Eventually they reached a large, circular plaza. Hundreds of warm, flickering campfires lit the plaza with a bright, orange glow. Each fire was surrounded by a group of shabby and unkempt residents murmuring quietly amongst one another. Upon entering the plaza quite a few of the homeless persons shouted greetings and welcomes to Danika, offering her a place at their campfires.

"What is this?" Lumina wondered aloud.

"This is Zanarkand. The real Zanarkand," Dani replied, waving amiably to a few passerbys. "These are the citizens who came here to start a new life and were pushed into the slums because they couldn't afford the ridiculously overpriced lifestyle you find in the Upper Sectors. Zanarkand was built for people like them and yet now they're persecuted by Collectors and denied the jobs and benefits of Sector A citizens."

"I can't believe this…"

"Believe it," Dani said dryly. She led the gang towards the nearest group of vagabonds, introducing them one by one.

One of the scruffy, toothless men grinned at them with absolute delight, "Hey there, young'uns. Welcome to the Market District. My name's Abel and this here's my family. Come sit, share our fire; it ain't's much but it's warm enough for tonight, eh?"

The group gathered around the man and his own assembly. Dani brought out a bag filled with a few of the leftovers from Duncan's dinner and handed it to Abel.

"Bless you, Dani," he said, smiling broadly. Danika returned the gesture, watching quietly as he passed out the food amongst his family members. Lumina felt herself beginning to shake with rage. Zanarkand was a lie. These people were kind and welcoming and they deserved to live a life as privileged and blissful as the citizens in the Upper Sectors. This wasn't the city her father had envisioned; it couldn't be.

"We should do something," she murmured quietly. Danika looked at her interestedly, "What should we do, Lumina? What _can_ we do besides help one another?"

"We can send a message," she said boldly. "We can take this to the Council and the Upper Sectors. We can show them what they're doing to their own people."

"I doubt they'd care," Duncan said sourly, crossing his large arms over his chest.

"They'd care if we bring it right to their doorstep."

"Do you mean—"

"Yup," Lumina nodded. "We march up to Sector A and we bang on all the doors and break all the windows! We shout until somebody hears us!"

"Are you crazy?!" Kitt exclaimed waving his hands around wildly. "The gaurds'll kill us!"

"Not if we have the entire Sector at our backs," she insisted gesturing to the hordes of people behind them. The shouting seemed to have drawn the attention of a few of the closest groups and quiet murmurs began to spread through the crowd.

"You think you can convince all these people to follow you past the boundaries to Sector A and tear up the streets without fear of being shot or arrested?!" Danika argued.

"Not alone she can't," Kole said. Lumina turned around to see his green eyes ablaze with passion. "I'm with you all the way Lumina. Let's inspire them. Let's remind them that they came here for freedom!"

"Ooh!" Calli exclaimed suddenly. "This reminds me of a great saying we have back Home…Um…What was it again…? Oh yeah! It goes, _**My Jey Purasa**_."

"La..vi..via..Bo..Bo—What?" Kitt's newfound Al Bhed skills didn't seem to cover the realm of Calli quips.

She waved him off, "It basically means long live the free people! Pretty great, right?"

Kole was practically bouncing with pent up energy now, "That's perfect!" At this point, there was no doubt that the entire Market District had gathered to get a closer look at the commotion. They stared at the crew with large, curious eyes. Kole shot Lumina a daring grin before he leapt up onto a nearby heap of trashed boxes and shouted to gain the attention of any stragglers.

"Citizens of Zanarkand, how many of you came here for a fresh start? Who came here to live peacefully in this Eternal Calm?"

There were a few confused murmurs as the assembled crowd tried to understand why this scrawny teenager was shouting at them.

"Oh gods…"Danika muttered rubbing her forehead.

"You are the people that this city was built for!" Kole continued, unphased by the lack of response. "But it was taken from you by Sigurd and all of the so called "leaders" before him. The Council doesn't care about you. They take your money, your homes, and your freedom and call themselves your protectors. Well, I say, now is the time for us to fight back!"

A few members in the crowd cheered, but plenty of the others seemed unconvinced. Abel spoke up, raising his voice above the murmurs, "So what if you're right boy? Look at us? Do you think we have what it takes to stand up to the Council and their Enforcers?"

"Of course you do!" Lumina found herself bounding up the boxes to stand beside Kole. "It's always been the underdog that makes a change in Spira."

"She's right," Kole said giving her a grateful nod. "Wasn't it a fallen summoner and her guardians that defied the teachings to bring our ancestors an Eternal Calm? And wasn't it a group of three meager Crimson Squad soldiers that came together to rebuild Spira after the order of Yevon fell? And wasn't it us, the free people of Spira, who came to this city to return it to its former glory?"

Lumina's shout of approval blended with the crowd's. She looked down at the assembled vagrants; a new and hopeful light was shining in their eyes now. Calli and Kitt scrambled up to join their friends as well, shouting Calli's phrase in Al Bhed, "_**My Jey Purasa! My Jey Purasa!"**_

"This city belongs to us as much as it does anyone else and it's time for the Council to get that through their fat heads! Who's with me?"

The crowd roared, shouting messy versions of Calli's words excitedly.

"Here's to us!" Kole raised a fist in the air, joined quickly by Lumina, Kitt and Calli. "Here's to causing one hell of a commotion!"

Lumina looked around; her heart was pounding loudly in her ears—the charged atmosphere was positively intoxicating. She saw Danika out of the corner of her eye, a large smile spread across her red lips.

_Dad, can you see me?_

* * *

><p>They led the crowd through the streets, shouting over and over again in Al Bhed. Light went on in houses and people poked their heads out of windows to see what was causing the commotion. They passed, or rather broke, the gate leading into the Upper Sectors setting of warning alarms as they continued. But the fear was gone; the crowd surged with riotous energy. They hurried into the Central Plaza overturning vending stalls and leaping into the giant fountain, taking gil from beneath the shallow water. Lumina could hear sirens growing closer but for the moment all that mattered was shouting her message to the sky. <em>Long live the dreamers, long live the fighters, long live the free<em>.

The crowd surrounded her, patting her shoulders, raising their fists and taunting the soldiers that appeared near the end of the street. The chanting only grew louder as the soldiers advanced. The 'protectors' would be the first to hear the cry for equality. A soldier's voice echoed through some sort of loud speaker, "Cease and desist! Stop where you are!"

_**My Jey Purasa! My Jey Purasa!**_

"Enforcers are prepared to neutralize the targets on your command, Captain," the voice said.

The chanting continued unabated.

"Stop them."

"Scatter!" Kole shouted at the top of his lungs. He grabbed Lumina's hand as the soldiers surged forward, dragging her into a nearby alley and pelting through the narrow passage with all of his might. She kept pace, glancing over her shoulder to see two or three soldiers chasing after them.

"Run faster!" she shouted gleefully, not at all phased by the gravity of their situation. Kole laughed, taking a sharp right and leading her down another street. They passed by others who ran and shouted insults, toppling waste bins and taunting the guards that followed.

She had no idea what had happened to Danika and the others but at the moment all she felt was exhilaration. The night air tore through her hair and across her face, leaving the tip of her nose tingling. Her hand was warm within Kole's and he kept glancing back at her, a gleam in his green eyes and a large smile revealing his teeth.

"This is nuts!" She shouted over the wail of sirens and shouts of anarchy.

"Worked though, right?"

Before she could respond she saw a wall of soldier's forming in front of them. "Kole!"

He stopped short, catching her as she barreled into him. Quickly spinning around, he began to lead her in the opposite direction only to be stopped by another blockade.

"Damn…" he hissed, his grip on her hand tightening unconsciously.

"What now?" she asked pressing her back to his as the circle of soldiers surrounded them.

"Looks like the jig is up…"

She glanced back at him, surprised to see a jaunty grin still on his face. He gave her a thumbs up as the army closed in, "…for now."

* * *

><p>"<em>Did you hear the news? Rikku told me that Brother is getting married."<em>

_Tidus snorted, "Brother? Seriously? Is it a shotgun wedding?"_

"_Tidus!" Yuna scolded, putting her hands on her hips. "That's not very nice. Brother deserves happiness just as much as anyone else."_

_Tidus raised his hands in surrender, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! You're right, I'm happy for the guy." He threw a wink at Lumina who sat next to him at the dining table. "So, uh, do we have to go to the wedding?"_

_She gave him a look that said he should already know the answer to that question. Tidus grinned back at her innocently. As soon as she turned to leave the room he leaned in towards Lumina, putting a hand atop of her head and drawing her closer._

"_Wanna know something about your old man?" He whispered, snickering to himself. Lumina nodded enthusiastically, feeling as if she were a part of some sort of highly covert operation. _

"_When your mama and I were younger; waaay before you were born, she was supposed to marry someone else. Did you know that?"_

_Lumina gasped loudly, her eyes widening at the seemingly inconceivable notion. Tidus nodded solemnly, "Mhmm. Someone she didn't love. He was a bad guy, a very bad guy. So, you know what your papa did?"_

"_What?"_

"_I led and entire army to her wedding!" he exclaimed leaning back in his chair and waving his arms wildly. "Guns, swords, smoke bombs! I flew down that aisle and knocked the sense out of that guy."_

_Lumina was grinning. She could practically see the scene playing out before her with her father at the head of a crowd, charging in to save the day like a hero. _

"_Then I scooped her up—"Tidus reached forward, taking Lumina out of her chair and lifting her above his head, carrying her around the room as if she were flying. "And we escaped on a giant airship! We flew off into the sunset and never saw the bad guy again."_

_Lumina giggled uncontrollably as he set her on his shoulders. She grabbed tiny fistfuls of his fluffy hair, making him grimace._

"_So you know what that means for you Lumina?" he asked, peeking up at her out of the corner of his eye._

"…"_She shook her head._

"_That means sometimes it's ok to break the rules if it's for someone who needs you. Someone you love."_

"_So when mama tells me to go to bed tonight I can stay up—"_

_Tidus' laughter cut her off, "No, no. You have to follow our rules."_

"_Aww," she pouted. _

"_You'll understand someday," he said setting her on the ground and ruffling her hair. "But uh…listen…"_

_He knelt down so that they were eye level, "Don't let your mom know I told you that story. She doesn't remember it like I do and we don't want her to get confused. Ok?"_

_Lumina nodded rapidly again, crossing her heart with a stubby finger. He smiled, blue eyes crinkling at the corners, "Good girl."_

* * *

><p>Lumina looked up at the cold, metal ceiling above her head, a wide grin on her face.<p>

_I broke the rules alright_, she thought proudly. _I brought an army down the aisle._

Maybe the comparison wasn't quite perfect, but she couldn't help but feel satisfied with what she started. There was not a doubt in her mind that _he_ would have done the same thing had he seen the turmoil in the slums. The scrape of metal on metal filled the tiny room as the door swung open. Lumina shifted in her seat, stretching to get a better look at the figure who had entered. It was a tall, silver-haired woman with ruby red eyes. She strode towards Lumina, her shoulders thrown back proudly and a sour grimace turning down the corners of her dark lips.

Placing her hands on the table at which Lumina sat, she leaned forward, peering at the young girl with those piercing red eyes, "What is your name?"

Lumina just stared up at her defiantly-she didn't have to answer, right? They couldn't do anything to her if she kept her mouth shut…right?

The tall woman straightened, gazing at Lumina down the bridge of her sharp nose, "You look familiar. Do you live in Zanarkand?"

Silence.

The woman sighed, "Look, if you give me the answers I need then this is going to be over very quickly….Or, if you prefer, I could continue to keep you in confinement. I know it can't have been comfortable sitting in that chair all night."

Lumina hesitated. Her back did ache fiercely and her wrists had gone numb where they rubbed against the shackles. She wasn't quite sure what time it was, but it had to have been a solid few hours since the chaos.

"Your name?" the woman demanded, leaning on the table again.

"Lumina. Yours?" The retort probably wasn't necessary but Lumina hated feeling patronized. Fortunately, the officer smirked, seemingly amused by her response, "Paine. I'm the Commander of the Zanarkand Enforcers. Where did you come from, Lumina? Do you live in Sector D?"

She shook her head, "No. I just came to Zanarkand about a week ago."

Paine's red eyes narrowed, "And what possessed you to cause an enormous riot in the streets of Sector A?"

"We weren't rioting! We were trying to send a message!" She protested.

"Well, it worked. The entire city is now aware of your status as a juvenile delinquent, or is that not the message that you intended to send?"

Lumina clenched her teeth bitterly. The march had seemed like a much better plan down in the slums.

"Where are my friends?" she asked quickly before Paine could continue to berate her.

"They are confined to their own individual cells, don't worry about them. Now—"

"I want to see President Sigurd!"

"…What?"

"Let me see the President," Lumina insisted, shuffling the cuffs around her wrists. "I want to explain to him why we marched into Sector A."

"You can explain it to me," Paine said darkly.

Lumina shook her head fiercely, "I want to talk to Sigurd." As she protested, the silver chain that hung around her neck flashed in the pale light of the cell and Paine's eyes suddenly widened with surprise.

"Where did you get that necklace?" she asked, her tone much softer. Lumina was confused for a brief moment, looking down at the symbol that hung on her chest. "I've always had this."

"You didn't steal it?"

"No! It was my father's!" she shouted. Paine pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed deeply, "Oh no…"

She turned towards the door, leaving Lumina floundering for a response, "Hey! Wait, where are you going?"

"I'll be back." She replied before closing the door. "I need to make a call."

* * *

><p>"Sooo what's new? I haven't heard from you in ages!" Yuna knew Rikku was just trying to be sociable, but she was hardly in the mood for such a flippant attitude. Biting back the sarcastic retort sprung to her lips, she settled instead for, "I think you know '<em>what's new'<em>."

Rikku sighed dejectedly, "Right. Kiddos missing. Got it."

She turned back to the NaviSphere, tracing a finger across its transparent surface. They'd been searching for the sonar signature attached to Calli's airship for most of the day but so far had not been able to pick up a signal. Without turning around Rikku asked, "Have you heard anything from Paine lately?"

"No. Have you?"

"Ehh…about a year ago. I heard she became a Captain of the Zanarkand Enforcers."

"That sounds like her," Yuna said wistfully. "She always was the type for discipline."

"Right?" Rikku agreed laughing. "I still have the scars from the hundreds of time she literally whipped me into shape!"

Laughter filled the airship as it had all those years ago when the two cousins had been on their own journey—just teenagers themselves. The giggling began to fade as they both felt the sharp pang of nostalgia. Things had changed and not for the better.

"Yunie, I—"

Rikku was cut off as the NaviSphere began to broadcast an emergency signal from Zanarkand. Turning on the projection, Rikku and Yuna watched as a chaotic scene broke out before them. Dozens upon dozens of shabby, unkempt people ran through the Upper Sectors of Zanarkand chanting loudly and tossing handfuls of junk onto the streets. They overturned vendor stands and shouted threats at the crowds of soldiers who stood in their path. It was a terrifying scene; but the most horrifying aspect of all was at the head of the dirty crowd. A small group of eight young adults were leading the charge, shouting a phrase over and over at the top of their lungs. Yuna's eyes fell on one of the smaller figures. Her fist was lifted defiantly. A large, devilish grin spread across her face. Her bright blue eyes flashing as they fell on the camera that recorded the entire scene.

_Lumina_.

"HOLY SPIRA!" Rikku shouted pointing at the screen. "It's Lumina and Calli! _**Ur so kutc!**_"

She began to laugh, jumping up and down as excitedly as a small child, "_**Cra'c y napam! Fyed demm E damm Gip!"**_ (She's a rebel! Wait till I tell Gip!)

Yuna didn't want to believe what she was seeing, but the commentary that began to pour from the Sphere validated the scene.

'_Last night at approximately 10 P.M. Northern Time a riot occurred in Sector A of New Zanarkand. Nearly one-hundred of Sector D's most disorderly citizens crossed the boundary line and proceeded to cause a massive uproar in the Upper Sectors. Zanarkand's Enforcers were deployed immediately and as of the current hour, most if not all of the riot's participants have been subdued. Please stay tuned for an update on the identities of—'_

"Rikku, we have to—"Again before Yuna could finish her thought another loud beep came from the airship's CommSphere. Rikku ran to switch it on and a large projection of their old friend Paine appeared. She was dressed in a uniform similar to that of the ones they had just seen on the soldiers in Zanarkand.

"Paine!" Rikku squealed excitedly. The silver-haired woman nodded formally, her usually dour expression looking even more severe than Yuna remembered.

"Rikku. Yuna, it's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too," she replied, trying to sound pleasant in spite of the fact that she was trembling with dread. "Please, Paine…are you in Zanarkand right now?"

"I am," the woman's red eyes flashed. "In fact that's why I'm calling. I'm not sure if you've heard, but there was a massive riot in Sector A last night—"

"Oh yeah, we know!" Rikku interrupted. "In fact we—"

Paine cut her off quickly, "Um, Rikku…If I may?" Rikku's hands flew to her mouth and she nodded rapidly. Paine smiled lightly, returning her gaze to Yuna, "I'm glad that you're already aware of the current situation. That means that I won't have to explain much. Yuna, it's imperative that you come to Zanarkand immediately-I have your daughter in custody."

_Oh Yevon…_

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><p>Alright everyone, I would love it if you let me know what you thought!<p>

See ya next update!

-Fuzz


	6. Selfish Ambition

**Woah, finally an update…crazy, right? I hope it won't anger you all to learn that I had this finished a few days ago but I let it sit for a while so that I could edit it with a fresh eye….Not sure if that strategy was effective but—Anyway! This chapter is a little bit shorter than the others but I packed a lot of stuff into it and I didn't want it to get too bogged down. Let's get into some political intrigue and character motivation, eh? **

**Please enjoy :) **

**Songs that inspired the chapter: Fly, Fly Away-Catch me if You Can.**

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><p>"<em>Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live,<em>

_It is asking others to live as one wishes to live" -Oscar Wilde_

Paine sighed as she terminated the CommSphere connection with the Celsius. Her suspicions had been correct. The symbol on the girl's necklace, the unruly brown hair and of course-the attitude- all pointed to one thing. Lumina; the adolescent daughter of one of her oldest and dearest friends. Normally Paine made it a point to avoid personal connections with her inmates; it made it easier to enact fair punishment and avoid favoritism. It was going to be difficult to decide what to do with Yuna's daughter.

In any case, she and Rikku had promised that they would arrive in Zanarkand within a few hours. Until then, Lumina was _her_ responsibility. As she strolled back to the young girl's cell, an Enforcer hurried forward to meet her.

"Commander, President Sigurd has requested your presence in the Conference Hall."

Paine blinked; what was the President doing in the Detention Center? It was not a safe place for Sigurd to be especially considering the rising animosity the public was beginning to express towards his presidency.

Dismissing the cadet, she headed down the hallway and stepped into the industrial elevator. President Sigurd was a relatively new face among the Zanarkand Council but he had risen through the ranks quickly with the help of his silver tongue. Paine had never found him to be a likable individual nor a particularly effective leader, but her loyalty was to the city and its people and if supporting them meant assisting the President in order to maintain peace, then that's what she would do.

When she reached the Conference Hall she was blocked by two of Sigurd's suited service guards. Flashing her ID quickly, she pushed past them and opened the large metal doors to see the President lounging in one of the uncomfortable metal chairs surrounding the conference table.

"President Sigurd," Paine bowed her head quickly as the man stood to greet her.

"Commander. I appreciate the efforts you and your Enforcer's put forth last night in successfully halting the uprising in Sector A. Your decisive action undoubtedly helped us to avoid a more severe situation."

Paine nodded, "It's my job, sir."

Sigurd smirked, crossing his arms behind his back as he continued, "I trust that you have the perpetrators of this riot in custody?"

Again, she nodded, "They have all been apprehended."

"Need we worry that this was a latent extremist attack on the Upper Sectors?"

She almost snorted, "Hardly. The riot was instigated by a group of younger individuals."

Sigurd raised one slick black eyebrow.

"They're just teenagers causing a commotion," Paine elaborated. To her dismay, Sigurd's frown deepened, "And why should that assuage my doubts, Commander? Anyone is capable of toppling a society if they are determined to do so—In fact I believe that the youngest of our society are the ones most apt to accomplish such things. They believe in individualism, nonconformity and recklessness above anything else."

Paine didn't quite know how to respond. On one hand, the President made a very convincing argument, but on the other….She had spoken with Lumina face-to-face; there was no true hostility in the girl's countenance. Sigurd sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, skewing his spectacles, "If we are to maintain peace in Zanarkand after this incident, I insist that these individuals be kept under close surveillance. In fact, I believe it's also necessary that we tighten security measures around the entire city in order to dissuade other uprisings of this nature. Do you understand Commander?"

Paine frowned, "You want us to segregate the Sectors?"

"Indeed," Sigurd responded quietly. "Secure the gates at the entrances to each Sector. No one leaves or enters without proper identification. Shut down the airship stations for the time being as well. I've heard rumors that these instigators are foreign to our city. Because of this I request that the Enforcers make sure that no one enters or leaves the city of Zanarkand until further notice."

"But, Sir…Imposing such drastic measures will draw extreme backlash from the community. Surely, you don't want this type of reputation associated with your term. Besides that, wouldn't it be wise to send the leaders of the rebellion back to where they came from rather than keep them within the city?"

Sigurd scowled, "I would appreciate that you not question my decisions, Commander. I understand the implications of my orders, but my first and foremost responsibility to this city and its people is their safety. They may interpret my actions as oppression, but this is what will maintain peace. As for the rioters, I prefer to keep them within my jurisdiction. To let them return home after such an incident would be an insult to the people they disturbed."

Paine's mind was spinning. Yuna and Rikku were, at this very moment, flying to Zanarkand to rescue their children. But if the city was shut down before they arrived, there was no way that Paine would be able to help her old friends, "Sir, perhaps you would like to speak with one of the rioters? She has requested more than once to meet with you and maybe seeing her would help you decide how to proceed with the ramifications of this incident."

Sigurd paused before replying, "…Yes, bring her here. I would like to speak with _her_ as well. However, my order still stands, Commander. Give my instructions to the Enforcers and lockdown the city."

Paine's jaw clenched even as she bowed her head compliantly. Her duty was to Zanarkand. If Sigurd believed that peace would be maintained through these means, then she must comply.

"Yes, Sir."

* * *

><p>"Can you at least take the cuffs off?" Lumina whined as Commander Paine led her out of her cell and into a large elevator. "I'm not gonna attack the guy."<p>

"You're a felon under the jurisdiction of Zanarkand law. Protocol states that the indicted must be kept restrained at all times while in custody."

"….."

"So, no," Paine elaborated after catching Lumina's dumbfounded expression. "The cuffs stay on."

Lumina grumbled under her breath, making sure to shuffle the metal cuffs back and forth as often as she could in an attempt to irritate the Commander with their incessant jingling. Unfortunately, Paine didn't seem fazed. Eventually they reached two large double door which Paine pushed open with ease. Once inside Lumina was greeted with an austere, metal room at the back of which stood a tall man with slick black hair and a tidy suit to match. He approached them with a passive expression, his coal-black eyes burning into Lumina's.

"You were right, Commander," he said quietly. "She is barely more than a child. What is your name?"

"Lumina. And I'm not a kid, I'm fifteen," she said bitterly. Sigurd's lips twitched amusedly.

"Where are you from Lumina?" the president asked coolly. "You aren't a citizen of Zanarkand are you?"

She shook her head, "I'm from Besaid Isle."

"I see. And what was it that possessed you to come to Zanarkand with the intent of toppling the society that my associates and I have worked so carefully to create?"

"I didn't come here to mess with anything!" She paused briefly before continuing. "I came here to start a blitzball team. I wanna bring back the Zanarkand Abes!"

To her surprise, Sigurd didn't seem puzzled by her response. In fact, if anything, he looked as if he were considering her proposal. Taking advantage of the silence she decided to continue, "When I first came here _that_ was all that mattered. But when I saw what was happening to the people in Sector D I realized just how unbalanced _**your city**_ is. We marched into Sector A so that you and the rest of the Council would have to listen to us. But we never planned on hurting anybody."

Sigurd leaned back, narrowing his eyes, "You seem to be under the impression that I am unaware of the conditions present in Sector D. You're quite mistaken."

"Oh yeah," Lumina contested, ignoring the warning glance Paine sent her way. "If you're so aware of it, then why aren't you doing anything about it? There are people down there starving-being mistreated by _your_ Enforcers!"

"Change isn't made overnight, my dear," Sigurd responded, unfazed by her outburst. "No matter what I tell you, it's highly unlikely that you'll be able to sympathize. I'm sure you've never had to deal with leading a society before. In any case, what you've done is considered a misconduct by Zanarkand law. I would advise-"

"Wait!" Lumina interrupted before Sigurd could send her away. "Ok, you're right! I broke the rules and I probably don't know anything about how politics work. But, I know I can help these people! Please, will you just hear me out?"

Sigurd exchanged glances with Paine before nodding slightly for Lumina to continue. "I think that I can help the people of Sector D with Blitzball."

Before Sigurd could interrupt, she continued, "There are official teams all over Spira and big games draw in hundreds of fans! Players make thousands of gil each day just by entertaining a crowd. But, they use all that gil for themselves. If you help us fund the Abes then I promise that me and my friends will make it to Nationals, win the Crystal Cup and use the gil we earn to fund improvements for the city!"

The President's expression was impossible to read, "A noble cause. However, I see too many variables involved that could end in failure for you and a significant loss of assets for the city. What makes you thinks that the citizens will spend what little gil they have to help fund your little escapade?"

"I don't know for sure that it will work," she admitted quietly. "But I do know that rallying for a cause unites people. We can bring the city together if they believe in what we can do. Please….Let me try. I know we can make it to the championships, we just need someone to believe in us."

Sigurd's black eyes were narrowed, the corners of his mouth twitching, "For someone who's only just arrived in the city, you seem quite empathic for a community that's not even your own."

Lumina swallowed dryly.

"If I didn't know better I would assume that perhaps you have some personal reasons to advocate so strongly for this Blitzball campaign."

She shook her head tentatively, "Maybe it started like that. But I really do want to help these people now."

"So it's coincidence that what_** you**_ want will help revive the Zanarkanian society?" he asked blatantly.

Lumina nodded timidly. Sigurd's coal black eyes bore into her own as if he could read into her very being. Finally, a small smile spread across his thin lips, "I won't deny that I'm intrigued by your ambition, Lumina. However, I didn't become a president by yielding to the whims of every starry-eyed dreamer who came to this city. If you want this venture to become a reality then prove to me that the citizens will support you. If you can show me that your team truly strengthens the city, then I will support this odd little dream of yours."

Lumina brightened as she realized what the President was saying—he was giving her a chance. Paine stepped forward suddenly, "Sir, I understand that it's not my place to interrupt. However, I feel it's important you know that this young woman's family is headed to the city at this very moment to take her home. She doesn't belong in Zanarkand. I suggest we let—"

Sigurd held up his hand to stop her, "I appreciate your concern, Commander. But Lumina is still under Zanarkand jurisdiction. She said it herself, she is no longer a child and she must atone for her actions."

"Sir…"

"By Zanarkand law, she belongs to the Council and the Department of Justice until she has compensated for her crimes. I would appreciate that you pass this message along to her relatives."

Lumina glanced at Paine whose mouth hung open uncharacteristically. President Sigurd straightened his suit and glanced once more at Lumina, "Commander, you are free to release this young woman and her affiliates. However, I ask that you assign a guard to their quarters for the time being. Lumina, I expect you will hold up your end of the deal?"

She nodded excitedly, "I will. I'll prove that we can do it."

Sigurd smirked again and turned towards the double doors, "Commander, you have your orders. Please have a report of this incident ready for me within the next week. Good day."

* * *

><p>Paine was fuming silently. Somehow the quiet made her seem ten times more intimidating. She led Lumina out of the Justice Hall and towards a large grey airship surrounded by Enforcers. Unlocking the cuffs, Paine jerked her chin towards the ship, "Get on. I'll release the rest of your party and have them join your shortly."<p>

"Wait, "Lumina called out before Paine could walk away. "Back there, with Si—The President, you said that…my mom was coming for me?"

The Commander nodded solemnly.

"But I can't see her," It was more of a statement than a question.

Paine shook her head, "She will not be granted access into the city."

Lumina looked at her feet, "Then…Will you do me a favor? Please."

Uncertainly, she took a step towards the tall, silver-haired Commander. Reaching around her neck, Lumina undid the clasp that held her necklace in place. Squeezing it briefly in her palm, she held it out towards Paine, "Would you please give her this? Let her know that I'm ok."

Paine looked down at the silver symbol and for a brief instant Lumina thought she saw something like sentiment flash in those deep crimson eyes. She took the necklace, slipping it gently into her vest pocket and nodding towards the airship once again, "I will. Now get on the ship."

Lumina nodded, trying to ignore the heavy feeling in her chest, "Thank you."

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><p>Night had fallen by the time Yuna and Rikku landed near the outskirts of the city. They'd been turned away at the gate but received a CommSphere message from Paine only minutes afterward, ordering them to wait for her near the city's southern end. From where they stood they could see the lights of the city coming on one-by-one until the buildings burned as brightly as stars. It was a sight that she'd always yearned to see, however considering the current situation, Yuna was hardly able to appreciate it now.<p>

"Do you think she's still coming? Are we in the right place?" she asked, turning anxiously to Rikku who stood leaning against the airship, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

"Don't worry," Rikku said, smiling encouragingly. "She'll find us."

Yuna looked back towards the city where a small airship had just risen above the skyline and was now jetting towards them, its bright head beams sweeping across the landscape. Yuna hurried forward to meet the tiny airship as it landed near the Celsius. Disappointment set in quickly when the only one to exit the cockpit was Paine.

The tall silver-haired woman looked as austere as ever, but her gaze softened once she came face to face with her old teammates, "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me. I'm sorry I couldn't provide you with more details earlier…Things have gotten complicated."

"Complicated?" Yuna echoed nervously.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rikku interjected. "Where are the kids? Didn't you say you'd bring them?"

"I did say that," Paine looked away as if she were embarrassed. "However…The immediate release of your children is no longer within my authority."

"….What?"

Paine's crimson eyes flashed as she cast a glance over her shoulder as the city lights, "The riot left the Council shaken. I did my best to convince the President that Lumina and her friends meant no harm but Sigurd is adamant that she repent for the misconducts she has committed."

"Repent? What are you saying?" Rikku asked since Yuna seemed too stunned to respond.

"I'm saying that until further notice, your daughters are convicts under the jurisdiction of the city Council," Paine looked up to meet her friend's worried gazes. "There's nothing I can do to have them released. It was a risk for me to even come here in the first place. Because of the riot, the city is now in lockdown… I'm sorry."

"What do they have to do to _repent_?" Rikku complained, using air-quotes to emphasize her annoyance.

Paine shook her head, "I'm not entirely sure. What I do know is that at the moment she and Sigurd have a deal. She intends to revive the Zanarkand Abes with his help and use the prize money from the National Tournament to help rebuild the slums in Sector D."

"…Uh oh," Rikku squeaked glancing nervously at her cousin. Paine had not been around to witness the devastating effects of Tidus' death; but those close to Yuna knew that Blitzball was a sore spot. Rikku—and even Paine—had expected a considerable amount of anger once Yuna learned of Lumina's offences. But when she remained silent after Paine's story, it was somehow more worrisome than a sudden outburst. Before the silence could stretch for too long, Yuna looked up at Paine, unshed tears making her eyes shine brightly, "There's no way I can see her? Even just for a moment?"

Her obvious distress was beginning to tug on Paine's heart. "I'm sorry. I can't take you into the city and Lumina's already under surveillance so I can't bring her here. But I _can_ take any message that you may have back to her….You as well Rikku." She nodded to the Al Bhed who stood aside, eyes flitting anxiously between her two friends.

"Oh and there is one more thing," Paine added quickly. Opening the pocket on the front of her vest she pulled out a long silver chain, at the end of which dangled a familiar symbol.

"Hey that's—" Rikku began before Paine cut her off.

"Lumina knew that you were coming and she knew that she wouldn't be able to speak with you. She told me that she wanted you to have this and to let you know that she will be alright." Paine said as she placed the necklace in the center of Yuna's palm.

There was silence for a long time as Yuna stared at the necklace that had once been Tidus'. In spite of the anxiety she had experienced up until this point she now felt entirely numb. There was nothing she could do to help Lumina. Her daughter was a felon and by law, was now within the Council's jurisdiction, not hers. Somewhere along the way- she decided-she had failed as a mother. And now all that she had left of Lumina and of _him_….was this _stupid_ silver chain.

"Yunie?" Rikku's quiet whimper drew her back to the present. Closing her fingers around the necklace she looked up at Paine, trying to hide the quiver in her voice as she said, "Thank you for all that you've done Paine. I suppose there's no choice but for us to return home…"

"Yuna…"

"But might I ask for one more favor?"

Paine nodded mutely, afraid words would betray her emotions.

"Would you _please_ look after her? Make sure she doesn't get hurt? And will you give her this message-..."

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><p>"I can't believe you made friends with the Commander of the Enforcers!" Kitt exclaimed once they had all been placed on the airship that would return them to Sector D.<p>

Lumina shrugged, "We're not really friends. But she knew my parents a long time ago apparently so I guess she felt inclined to help me out."

"What did she have to say about our march?" Duncan asked crossing his arm over his chest. "Did our message get through?"

"Kind of," Lumina began. She was hesitant to tell them of the deal she had made with Sigurd. Knowing Danika, any sort of arrangement with the President would be considered betrayal.

"What does '_kind of'_ mean?" Dani asked suspiciously. "Either it came across or it didn't."

"Well, she thought it was a stupid way for us to try to get attention," Lumina replied carefully, "considering that we're convicts and all now. But, she also said that standing up for the people in Sector D seemed like a worthy cause."

"So what happens to us now?" Ambri whimpered from where she sat huddled next to Kole. "Are the Enforcers going to help Sector D?"

"Well...Actually, we are."

The group gave her confused looks. Lumina took a steadying breath before continuing, "I told Commander Paine about my Blitzball plan—"

"Oh Lumina," Danika groaned rubbing her temples. "Not this again…"

"Please Dani, just hear me out for once!" Lumina pleaded. "The Commander gave me permission to go through with it. If she thinks it's a good idea, won't _you at least_ give me a chance to explain?"

Danika pursed her lips, but remained silent. Choosing her words carefully, Lumina began to explain the plan she had shared with Sigurd. When she had finished she was greeted with uncomfortable silence.

"Come on! Imagine what we can do for these people," she said quickly. "The gil we make will go to the citizens. We'll rebuild Sector D by ourselves—We can show these people that they don't need to be afraid of the Council, they have the ability to change their own lives! We'll revive the Abes on our own."

"How?" Danika asked harshly. "We barely have the means to support ourselves, how are we going to fund a Blitzball team?"

Choosing to leave out the fact that Sigurd had promised to help support them if they made it to the tournament, Lumina said, "We'll go back to Sector A and show off our skills. We'll make them want to support us. We'll bring back Blitzball fever!"

Lumina stood up excitedly, Dani still seemed unconvinced, but the others were exchanging curious glances now, "We can_ totally_ do it! Ambri and Calli can work on posters and publicity. Kole, Kitt and I can figure out some sort of mind-blowing routine to impress audiences and you and Duncan can help organize the gil we'll collect."

"It could work…" Kole began hesitantly. "It's a big gamble though."

"No it's not!" Kitt intervened. "The Zanarkand Abes used to be one of the most popular teams in all of Spira! Along with our mad skills, nostalgia will play a big part in getting people interested."

"Imagine if it did work," Ambri murmured almost dreamily. "We could change so many lives." Her brother, Pax, grunted his approval.

Dani's golden eyes were beginning to shine as she looked around at her comrades. Lumina knew she was intrigued; whether she wanted to admit it or not, Dani was ambitious, the possibility of fame and fortune would be tempting enough to sway her.

"Imagine making this community proud," Lumina said locking eyes with Danika. "Imagine the crowds, the lights-imagine working our way to the top. Imagine being the underdogs that everyone cheers for!"

Danika bit her lip uncertainly.

"Dani, we've been given a chance to make a difference. We can't waste it. Let's just go for it. Let's see where it takes us."

Danika exhaled slowly before looking up at Lumina with a bright gleam in her eye, "You are the most stubborn and pushy kid I've ever met….But I'm in. Let's do it."

Lumina didn't even try to hide the enormous grin that spread across her face.

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><p>When the airship dropped them off at their abode in Sector D, they were followed by two Enforcers who took up their posts outside the front door. Lumina had known that they would be dogged by guards as a consequence of their riot, but it still unnerved her to be a prisoner in her own home. The group settled inside the living room, eagerly discussing their plans to kick start their Blitzball campaign when the door opened and Commander Paine entered the room.<p>

Everyone fell silent as she surveyed the group with solemn, crimson eyes. Eventually, her gaze rested on Lumina and she gestured for her to follow, "Follow me. I would like to speak with you for a moment."

Glancing nervously at her friends, she got to her feet and trotted after Paine who had stepped outside into the courtyard. Once they were a safe distance away from the house and the other Enforcers, Paine turned to face Lumina with a much gentler expression than before, "I spoke with your mother outside of the city."

"You did? What did she say? Did you give her the necklace?"

Paine held up a hand to stop the flow of questions, "I gave her the necklace and your message. I also made her aware of the current situation and your moral standing within the city."

"Oh….Was she mad?" Lumina asked weakly.

Paine's lips twitched, "I can imagine she is more than a bit irked that you ran away from home and became a delinquent in a foreign city, yes."

Lumina swallowed, dropping her chin to her chest.

"But," Paine continued, drawing her attention once again. "The message she wanted me to give you was not disciplinary." The Commander put a hesitant hand on Lumina's shoulder, weakly attempting to pass on Yuna's heartfelt words. "She wants you to know that she loves you, she wants you be careful and most importantly, she asked that you do everything you can to come home safe and sound."

Lumina struggled to fight the lump rising in her throat as she imagined her mother's words. She'd never intended to hurt or worry anyone when she escaped Besaid; but her actions so far had obviously done nothing to pacify the people she'd left behind.

"She also asked that I keep an eye on you while you're here in Zanarkand," Paine added quietly and her tone was much more reassuring than Lumina had expected it to be. "So promise that you'll come to me before you do anything stupid again, alright? Let me help you before you get yourself into more trouble with the Council."

Lumina chuckled lightly, "Okay, I promise." Paine nodded, releasing the young girl's shoulder and preparing to turn away when suddenly Lumina realized that there was already something the Commander could assist them with, "Wait, Paine? There _is _actually something I need from you."

"Yes?" she replied apprehensively.

"Do you think you could get us access to the plaza in Sector A? I've already got a plan that will show Sigurd what we can do."

"….Blitzball?"

"Blitzball."

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><p><strong>We found the plot! :D The real action starts next chapter folks, let's get into some games! Heheh, thank you all for reading, I hope you enjoyed. Please leave any reviewscomments/critiques down below. I appreciate any and all feedback and I promise the next update won't take so stinkin' long.**

**Until next time…**


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